What Winter Brought
by utsukushii04
Summary: Everything was normal in Zoe's life until a horrible accident occurred. With this accident, her whole life changed-completely. Along with the changes came a relationship she longed for deep,deep inside. Takumi!Chap 33 UP! R&R! ***COMPLETE!***
1. Chapter 1

**Alright! This is my first story, so if it's a little boring, sorry… But I do hope you enjoy. Some chapters might be short, others longer, like other fanfics, I guess. But I'm actually proud of my self for this. I thought of the story on Tuesday morning of this week, Dec 22, and started writing it on Wednesday, the next day, and then I became a member the Thursday, Christmas eve. Until now that I can actually upload. Okay! Enough talking, let's get to the story!**

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What Winter Brought

Chapter 1:Dec 4

"Dude! Stop it man! Really!" cried out the aching Kouichi. His twin brother was beating him up because of his comment. They both had midnight blue eyes and dark raven colored hair.

"Not until you take back what you said!" barked his younger twin brother, Koji (Haha he barked! Remember he's a wolf and he's barking!).

"It's not a shame to speak of your girlfriend, you know. I actually think it's sweet of any guy to speak of his girlfriend," commented the blonde girl watching from her seat. She had emerald colored eyes and was the shortest of the group (dang it stupid puberty!)

"You only say that because you're a girl, Zoe," spoke the brunette sitting next to Zoe. He was the same age as the other three teens, 17 and they were all seniors in high school.

"Oh, just stop fighting!" voiced the youngest member of the group. He was also brunette but was not related to the other brunette. His name was Tommy and he was 14.

"I'll tell Kelsi you get nervous and embarrassed when you talk about her in public!" joked Zoe.

"Don't you dare!" glared back Koji.

"Oh gosh calm down I was just joking. But keep it up and I will tell her. She is my best friend you know," shot back Zoe.

Koji just shrugged and left his brother alone.

"Alright, now that that's over, aren't you all excited it's almost Christmas!" sheered Takuya.

"Duh! Especially that now I'll be taking my midterms before break! Yes!" cheered Zoe.

"You didn't have midterms before break?" asked Kouichi, almost completely recovered.

"Yeah, I had suffered for three years with exams after break, but now that I'm a senior, the school changed the rules and we'll have them before! Meaning…I'll truly have the most wonderful time of year!" said Zoe thinking about Christmas.

"I'm in 8th grade, we only have finals, and they are only on the second semester," said Tommy.

"Well, stop bragging," nagged Takuya.

"It's only the fourth of December, so I'll have to start studying ASAP," said Zoe.

"But midterms aren't until the…well….in two weeks or so!" said Takuya.

"I know, but I want and _have _to get all A's on them. I just have to! So I'll start studying for them now, so it won't be as hard later. Get it?" she said quickly.

"No…I don't…get it…" said Takuya confused.

Zoe was about to say something to Takuya (probably something rude!), but her phone rang. "Alright. I'll be out. Bye!" she answered and hung up. "Alright. Gotta go! My parents are here. Bye guys! Oh, and Takuya, thell your mom thank you for me for the cookies, they were so delicious! I wish I could have them everyday!" she said excitedly.

"Alright. Bye. Oh, and I get the eat cookies everyday and you don't!" Takuya bragged.

"Whatever. See ya guys!" she said and went out to her parents' car. All of the teens had met at Takuya's house to hang out and stuff.

She got in the car. "Hey mom! Hey dad!" she greeted them.

"Hi honey! How was it?" asked her mom.

"Oh, the usual. Mrs. Kanbara gave us cookies. Oh how delicious! Kouichi spoke of Kelsi, Koji got mad, they were wrestling, Tommy tried to stop them, Takuya annoyed me, and I annoyed him back. Yup, the usual," finished Zoe.

"Oh, how…interesting. So wait. If you guys argue like that, why are you friends?" asked Mr. Orimoto.

"Oh, we're just playing around. We actually like each other, but we wanna waste time, so we argue, but jokingly," finished Zoe.

"I remember those days when I would…" started Mrs. Orimoto. Zoe knew exactly where it was headed. Her mom would start talking of her high school friends, then her dad would talk about his friends, but each story would have something different about it, and her mom would correct him. Her dad would not agree, but her mom would not say anything because by that point Zoe would be laughing. But since Zoe knew all the stories from back in the days, she just looked outside.

_Wow. The winter is so beautiful. It's so my favorite time of year!_, she thought. _Cool! That car is awesome._ She was looking at a small black car that was beside theirs.

"So I would joke around with them, just like Zoe and her friends," finished her mom. She had been talking for about 15 minutes.

"Yeah, my friends and I played in the same…" started her dad.

She looked outside again. _Wow that car has been taking our same route for a long time…_, she thought as she saw the car. She couldn't see the person driving.

Another ten minutes had passed.

"So we pranked him and-"Mr. Orimoto was cut off by Zoe.

"Sorry dad, but that black car has been following us for the past 20 or 30 minutes or something," she said warily.

"Really? Hmm, then let's take a different turn," said Mr. Orimoto and made a right turn on the nearest street. The black car did not follow. "See Zoe, you were just paranoid. Where was I? Oh, right and he looked at us…" and he continued his story.

They had made a stop at a stoplight waiting for the light to turn green.

_Ha. I can't believe I was being so paranoid,_ she thought.

She looked to her right.

_Wow, I've never seen such a bird!_

Then she looked to her left. Her eyes grew wide. It was the same black car from before, but instead of being beside them, it was coming towards them.

"Dad! Look OUT!" yelled Zoe.

Her parents looked to their left. The car crashed into the Orimoto's car. Zoe felt pain all over her body. She opened her eyes but everything was blurry. All of a sudden everything went blank.

_Mom. Dad._

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**So? What ya think? Huh? Huh? I hope it got you interested, on the next few days I might upload a bunch of chapters in the same day because I'm going back to school after next week, meaning…little time to write and R&R! ****Esta fue Utsukushii!**** (Yeah, I'm kind of fluent in Spanish… heeehee)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, (I feel I use that word a lot) here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoy! And thanks to all those who sent me a message! It really inspired me!**

**Takuya: are you blushing?!**

**Me: N-no, what makes you think that?**

**Takuya: Oh, I don't know, maybe because your face is all red!**

**Me: Shut up and go act stupid or something!**

**Takuya: I don't need anyone to tell me to act stupid! I can do that on my own! (walks away)**

**Me: wow (shakes head)**

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Chapter 2: December 5

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…

She slowly opened her eyes. She saw white. It was the ceiling.

_Where am I?_

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…

That was the only answer she got. She tried to get up but her whole body hurt. "Ugh…" she groaned. She laid there and looked around. She saw a lot of technical stuff that was only seen in hospitals, a night stand and flowers. They were purple daisies, her favorite.

"Am I in a hospital?" she asked herself aloud.

"Yeah, pretty much," came the answer from a male voice.

"Takuya! And Tommy! And Koji! And Kouichi!" she said very happily.

"Hey she remembers who we are!" said Tommy.

"How can I forget you guys?" she said with a smile

The door then opened. It was Kelsi. "Zoe! Oh Zoe! You're awake! You're awake! Am I ever so glad!" greeted the young girl. She went up to Zoe and hugged her.

"Ugh!Kelsi!...You're crushing me and this time it truly hurts!" said Zoe losing some breath.

Kelsi let go. "Sorry, Oh you remember me!" she said.

"Why is everyone amazed that I remember anything?" she asked a little annoyed.

"Well, you were kind of in a car accident," said Kouichi.

"And they didn't know if you would be able to retain your memory," finished Koji.

"You do remember you had an accident, right?" asked Takuya.

Zoe thought for a moment. The car, the crashing sound and the blanking out. She vaguely remember, but her head hurt.

"Ugh!" she said. "It makes my head hurt just trying to remember."

"Then we'll leave you to rest," said Takuya.

"Wait, no. Where are my parents?" asked Zoe. "They were also in the crash."

The group of youngsters looked at each other. Kelsi was about to answer but the door opened. It was Zoe's doctor.

"Hello, Zoe. I'm happy to see you awake," greeted the doctor and shook Zoe's hand. "I'm Dr. Stevenson."

"Hi!" answered Zoe.

"So do you remember who you are and who these kids are?" said Dr. Stevenson checking Zoe's eyes with a flashlight.

"Yeah! I'm Zoe Orimoto, and I'm a senior in high school. These guys are Takuya, Tommy, Koji, Kelsi, and Kouichi. All of them are the same age except Tommy. Kelsi and Koji are going out. Kouichi is Koji's twin, and Takuya annoys everyone," said Zoe, finishing with a huge grin.

"Is all she said correct?" asked Doc [Dr. Stevenson, I'm getting lazy].

They all nodded except Takuya who said, "I don't annoy everyone!"

"Yes you do!" said everyone in the room in unison.

"Good. I guess that's all I'll check for now. I'll be back in about three hours to check up. Now kids, let's leave Zoe to rest, she'll need it," ordered Doc.

"We are not kids we're men," whispered Takuya

"There you go. You're annoying everyone again," said Kelsi.

Takuya just shrugged. They all left the room waving goodbye to Zoe.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Doc.

"Yeah. Where are my parents?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Um…in another section of the hospital," she said.

Zoe's smile faded. "Yeah, but _how_ are they doing?" she asked.

"…They're fighting," answered Doc and quickly left.

Zoe was not satisfied with the answer the Doc gave her. "What did she mean by _fighting_?" she asked aloud and tried to fall asleep.

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**Oh no! No one wants to tell her about her parents…I wonder…So yeah stay tuned for the next chapter. R&R. Oh and I did something so funny! I was looking at my profile just to check it out. Then I clicked on the send message button just to see what happens, and then it said I wans't allowed to!**

**Takuya: That wasn't funny.**

**Me: who asked you! Esta fue Utsukishii! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Surprise! Two uploads in one day! Yay! And now… here is chapter 3! Yay! Again!**

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Chapter 3: December 6

Zoe woke up early. She had an uneasy sleep after finding out where she was and why she was there. But the worst part was the answer the Doc gave her about her parents.

…_They're fighting._

"I need to see them…" she said.

The door opened. It was the Doc again. "Good morning, Zoe. How are you feeling today?"

"A lot better, but still a little tired. My body doesn't hurt as much," answered Zoe.

"Good, because today you'll be going home," said Doc.

"Really! And so will my parents?" she asked happily.

"Well, no." answered Doc. Zoe's smile went away. "They will remain in the hospital until further notice," finished Doc.

"What?! Then where am I staying?" Zoe asked really confused.

"With us," answered a different voice. It belonged to Mrs. Kanbara, the mother of Takuya. Accompanying her was her whole family, Mr. Kanbara, her husband and Takuya's dad, Shinya, Takuya's younger brother, and Takuya himself. He was looking at his feet.

"Really?" asked Zoe happily.

"Yeah, we made sure with your parents. They agreed to let you stay with us," said Mrs. Kanbara with a smile.

Zoe looked at the whole family. Takuya was still looking at the floor and he had a little blush in his face.

"Takuya," called Zoe. Takuya looked up still blushing. "I guess now I'll get cookies everyday too," joked Zoe. He smiled back.

---------------------------------------A few hours later…-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you ready Zoe?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Are we going for my stuff a little later?" asked Zoe.

"Oh yeah. We'll tell you exactly how today will go in the car," answered Mrs. Kanbara.

"Before you go Zoe…" said Doc coming up to both women. "I must tell you about the therapy you must undergo this week to fully recover. You are a very strong girl, both physically and mentally, that is why you are going home today. You must take this therapy session for a week…" continued the Doc.

Nearby were Zoe's really close guy friends. They were talking in their own little group (or like me and sister liketo call it: The Herd :)

"So…Zoe's staying with you?" joked Koji.

"Shut up man," nagged Takuya.

"How do you feel about this?" asked Kouichi with a smirk.

"Well…I think…it will be…interesting?" said Takuya quietly.

"Don't do anything naughty now. Remember, Zoe is a very morally strict girl, she's not like the others. She deserves respect," continued joking Kouichi. Both Kouichi and his brother were elbowing Takuya.

"Guys, stop it! Seriously!" said Takuya trying to keep his voice down so that the women speaking a few feet away would not hear.

The rest of the boys started laughing.

_Back to Doc and rest of people…yeah._

"So, do you understand Zoe?" asked the Doc.

"Oh yeah, definitely," answered Zoe.

"Anything I can do for you?" asked Doc.

"Yeah…can I see my parents?" she pleaded.

Doc did not expect the question. She was not sure what to tell her. "Oh, um…sure. Just be prepared," she finally said.

"Guys hold off a little longer, Zoe and I will go see her parents before we leave," said Mrs. Kanbara to her family.

Zoe was bracing herself. _We've been here the whole weekend, how bad could their condition be?_ Zoe asked herself. _I hope they're okay…Alright Zoe, calm yourself down, they're fine, _she continued telling herself.

They finally reached the rooms where her parents were staying. Her dad, Mr. Orimoto was in one room, and Mrs. Orimoto was in the room next Mr. Orimoto's room. Zoe entered the room where her dad was in.

Zoe gasped. "Dad…" she said tears collecting in her eyes.

Mr. Orimoto was badly hurt. He was bandaged and casted almost all over his body. A lot of hospital stuff was surrounding his bed. Zoe made her way to her sleeping father.

"We were able to speak to him and your mother yesterday afternoon. Both were awake then," said Mrs. Kanbara. "They were glad that you would be staying with us. He thought it was the best for you."

Zoe nodded. "I know it was the best for me…Dad take care. Keep fighting…I know you're strong. You can make it," she said out loud. She bent down to kiss her father on his nose.

She didn't have much time so she began walking. When she reached the door, she looked back and said, "Bye Daddy…"

Without Zoe knowing, tears were falling from her eyes. Mrs. Kanbara put her arms around Zoe. She was also crying.

"You're such a strong girl…" said Mrs. Kanbara.

Zoe hugged Mrs. Kanbara back. Next was her mother.

Zoe entered the room to find her mom in the same conditions as her father: horribly hurt and bandaged.

"Mommy, I need you and dad! You're strong, you can do it mom!" she yelled, unable to hold back her tears that were now cascading down her face. Zoe kissed her mother and whispered to her in Italian. Then she left the room.

The whole way back to the main hospital lobby, Zoe and Mrs. Kanbara were crying. Zoe because she had obviously seen the horrible state in which her parents were in, and Mrs. Kanbara because she was a very sentimental woman. When they both reached the lobby to meet up with the others, no one spoke.

Doc came up to Zoe and said, "I'm sorry…is that all I can do for you? Do you have any final questions?"

"Yeah," spoke Zoe. "What are their chances of surviving?"

"It is hard to say at this point…" answered Doc. "I admire you, Zoe, I truly do. For a young girl, your strength is very visible. Keep it up. I'll see you tomorrow." With that Doc left.

Zoe was lost in her thoughts until Mrs. Kanbara spoke to her, snapping her back into reality. "Come on, Zoe, let's go home," said Mrs. Kanbara.

Zoe nodded, letting herself be escorted by her new family: The Kanbaras.

**Yay! Oh, not because of Zoe's condition, because she's going to live with Takuya…and his family. Heehee. So stay tuned to see what happens. Next chapter will be much happier and funnier I think. **

**Takuya: I bet it won't…**

**Me: Look, you're not Koji, so stop being so misanthrope-ish! Well, like I was saying…Oh I want to tell you but I can't or I'll give the story away! Well, esta fue Utsukushii!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Again! So here is chapter 4, it's a little long…so…I hope I don't bore you! Enjoy. Oh, and I got a question as to what "Esta fue" means, and it means "This was…"! So when I sign off it translates to "This was Utsukushii!"**

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Chapter 4: December 6 continued

Zoe flinched a little at the thought of riding in a car.

Takuya noticed. "It's okay. I….uh-know…that we won't let anything happen to you," he reassured Zoe and escorted her inside.

First went Shinya, then Zoe, and lastly Takuya. As the drive began Zoe closed her eyes.

"Uuhh…" she said aloud. She felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes. She saw the hand belonged to Takuya. She saw his warm eyes looking straight at hers.

"It's alright. Don't worry," he reassured to her again.

Zoe felt better, though a little warm. Actually she felt really hot, so she quickly looked away.

_What was that all about?_ she asked herself.

They finally arrived at the Kanbara home. The familiar home was very welcoming; she always felt at home every time she went in it, but before she used to only be a visitor. But she figured it wouldn't be so different.

In the car Takuya's parents explained to Zoe what was going to happen that day and a preview of what would happen the rest of the month. They told her they had legal protection of her. She would stay with them until further notice. She would also attend her same school and Takuya would drop her off and pick her up. Today they would go to her house to pick up her stuff they had shown her the house. She was pretty much just settling in.

"Takuya, Shinya, show Zoe the house. When you're done tell me and Zoe and I will go to her house to pick up her things, Okay?"ordered Mrs. Kanbara. (Good job Mrs. K, show them who's boss!)

Immediately, they began the tour.

"Well, Zoe, you know almost all the house, so we won't bother showing you what you already know," started Takuya.

They showed her the basement and upstairs where all the bedrooms were located.

"Alright, this is my parents' room. Always knock when you want to go in there," continued Takuya. "And this is Shinya's room. Don't go in there. Trust me, its not suitable for human life," joked Takuya.

"Shut up man," shot back Shinya. "This is Takuya's room, this is the actual place where it is not suitable for human life! So don't go in there!"

"Dude, you don't have to scream!" yelled Takuya.

"I wasn't screaming!" yelled Shinya back.

"Okie-dokie, let's just stop fighting now…" siad Zoe trying to stop the boys from bickering. "Oh and Takuya, I've gone in your room in the past. Horrible experience! I mean, dirty socks, food all over, gross! Never again!" She grimaced.

"Whatever…" said Takuya and stuck his tongue out.

"Well, down the hall is your room, Zoe," informed Shinya pointing to the room.

Zoe looked inside the room. "Oh, it's…nice…" she said.

Inside there were stacks of boxes and other crap. The bed was very hidden, but visible [what?], there was also a night stand and a dresser.

"Well…we kinda couldn't take everything out, so…yeah.," Takuya said sheepishly.

"Right…" said Zoe. "Did you guys feel lazy?"

"N-no…we…didn't…have…time?" said Shinya unsure.

Zoe sighed.

"So I hope you find this to your liking," said Takuya. [good job, that actually sounded smart…sort of]

"Yeah, of course. I just hope I won't have to sleep with boxes tonight," joked Zoe. "I guess that means you boys got some work to do!" She smiled and went downstairs.

The boys exchanged glances and sighed.

"Wow, we'll have girl in the house," said Shinya. "Is that a good thing, Takuya?"

"Yes and no," answered Takuya still looking at the room. "Yes because she'll probably bring her friends over, meaning more girls. And no because Zoe is…well…Zoe."

"Oh," said Shinya. "Then you must be very happy!" Shinya grinned and patted his brother on his back. When Takuya glared daggers at him, Shinya's grin disappeared and he quickly ran back downstairs with Takuya chasing after him.

_--------Later_

"Alright boys. Clean Zoe's room, okay?" ordered Mrs. Kanbara. "And _please_ don't waste time. Zoe and I will come back very soon."

Zoe grinned at the boys and left behind Mrs. Kanbara.

At Zoe's house, everything was dark. Zoe fortunately had her keys so she was able to get inside her house.

"So, you know what you need?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Um, yeah, I guess," answered Zoe.

She went up to her room. She began packing her clothing. As she was done she looked around to se if she needed anything else. She picked up her ipod and other knick-knacks that were given to her. She also packed her school stuff. She lastly packed a picture of her parents she had in her room. "I know we'll be together soon…"

Zoe went back to where Mrs. Kanbara was waiting. "Ready?" she asked.

"Almost…" said Zoe and headed towards the living room.

In one of the corners of the living room was a beautiful Christmas tree. It was lively decorated with ornaments and lights. Zoe completely unplugged the lights that were on the tree. She also went around the rest of the house to unplug other electronics. She then went to where Mrs. Kanbara was.

"Sorry. My dad is sort of paranoid. He would get mad if anything were to happen to the house," explained Zoe lowering her gaze.

"Oh it's fine," said Mrs. Kanbara. "Ready to go?"

Zoe nodded. She looked at the house one last time and closed the door.

_----------Back at the Kanbara Residence_

"Wow…finally we are DONE!" cheered Takuya sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Good job son," said Mr. Kanbara. "Now, if only you could do the same with your room!"

"Hey!" nagged Takuya. "I can. I…just…need…time?" [wow, he and Shinya are definitely brothers]

The door to the house opened. "Hello boys, we're back," greeted Mrs. Kanbara. "Did you finish the room?"

"Oh yeah," answered Shinya. "A lo-ng time ago!"

"Right. Zoe you can go check to see if the room is to your liking, I'll go help you in a bit," said Mrs. Kanbara looking at Zoe.

The young girl immediately went upstairs.

"You boys go to your room, you father needs to speak with you," ordered Mrs. Kanbara.

The boys also went upstairs.

Mr. Kanbara got up. "What do you mean _speak_ with them?"

"You know...now that Zoe is staying with us, they have to be a little considerate," explained Mrs. Kanbara.

"Considerate? What do you mean?" asked Mr. Kanbara confused.

Mrs. Kanbara sighed. "Oh gosh. She's a girl, they are boys. I think you can get that, right?"

M. Kanbara felt as though a light bulb lit in his head and he nodded. Mrs. Kanbara could not believe her husband, so she quickly went upstairs. As if he was collecting what he was going to say to his sons, he also went upstairs.

Mrs. Kanbara entered Zoe's room.

"So Zoe, How are you feeling so far?" she asked the girl.

"Oh, great. Thank you so much for doing this. I-I guess I can't thank you enough," thanked Zoe shyly.

"Zoe, we would do anything for you and your family," answered Mrs. Kanbara with a smile.

_-------------To Mr. Kanbara_

"Hi boys!" greeted Mr. Kanbara. [oh great it all ready started badly…-_-]

"Hey dad!" greeted the boys sarcastically. They both exchanged glances.

"So what are you up to?" Mr. Kanbara asked. [it's not getting any better…]

"Um…nothing…" answered Shinya. "Mom just told us to come here because you were going to speak to us."

"Oh right!" he said with a sheepish smile. "Of course. Okay…how can I say this…" [wow…]

Shinya and Takuya glanced at each other again.

"Alright!" said Mr. Kanbara. "I'll just get to the point…" [I think he's going somewhere…]

This scarred both boys and they were now looking at their father.

"…You know how Zoe is staying with us?" asked Mr. Kanbara. [you can do it!]

Both boys nodded.

"Well," he continued. "Don't think of doing anything stupid or inappropriate, okay?" [yay he did it, finally!]

The boys became tense. They looked at each other again.

"You know…she's a girl, so I expect you both to respect her privacy. Especially you Takuya!" he said pointing to the young boy.

"What?! Me?! Why?!" screeched Takuya.

"You both are the same age," explained Mr. Kanbara. "And you are also getting older. You know, you start getting different _manly_ urges…"

Shinya was cracking up. He practically fell to the floor.

"Shut up Shinya!" shouted Takuya blushing.

"Now you too, Shinya," said Mr. Kanbara looking at his youngest son. Shinya stopped laughing. Mr. Kanbara continued, "You're always snooping into people's business. So don't do that with Zoe."

"Haha. You got told-Wait!" said Takuya. "Why does he only not get to do that with Zoe, what about me?!"

"Oh yeah! Don't do that with Takuya. There," said Mr. Kanbara. [oh, and he was doing so well…]

_------------To Mrs. Kanbara_

"So do you understand?" asked the older woman.

"Definitely," smiled Zoe.

Mrs. Kanbara was handing Zoe one of her pillows, but dropped when she heard screeching.

"Wow, they're having fun," said Mrs. Kanbara talking about the boys in the other room.

They both smiled and continued organizing the room.

**Woah, finally done! Sorry it was so long. I just didn't want to split this into two chapters because it would be a litte confusing I guess. So I hope you liked it! So R&R……..Wow, no Takuya. Good. I'll just sign off now before-**

**Takuya: Hey!**

**Me: Aaaaaah! (runs away)**

**Takuya: Oh well, I'll just have to do it for her. Esta fue utsukushii!**

**Me (from far away): Hey!**

**Takuya: Dang it! (runs) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Alrighty another upload! Well, if you're wondering why I'm uploading so quickly is because I only have a few days to upload. With school coming next week (or me going to it…), I have to update as fast as I can. I don't want you guys to be waiting like 6 months or something for the story to finish. I know how that feels…and…it's so… So yeah! Enjoy.**

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Chapter 5: December 11-Zoe's thoughts

Well, it's been a week that I came to live with the Kanbaras. This week has been so hectic, but livable. School had become harder though, and I have the same classes! Good thing I sent college applications really early or it would have been worse.

All this week I've been going to the hospital for the therapy sessions I had to take. Some days I would miss a bit of school in the morning, or I would go in the afternoon missing about three hours to do school work and study. Luckily, today I had my last session in the morning, meaning I have more time to study for midterms next week.

Now that Takuya drops me off at school I get there some thirty minutes after I usually would. But I'm not late or anything. It's Takuya who's always late! I get up early to get ready and stuff; it's him who does _not_ get up early. Hence, his lateness. But I still get picked up by him at three and that's not bad.

Everyone at school asks me how I am and how my parents are. But to tell you the truth, I don't even know. Well, not about me, I obviously know how I am, but my parents. I haven't seen them since last Sunday. Every time I went to the hospital this week no one would give a direct answer to their condition when I asked. They would tell me things like: "They're okay" or "I must go". And they always were unsure…I could hear it in their voice. And then when they ask in school it's so annoying!

At school, like I've already said before, people ask me about me and my parents, but nothing else. I know they are worried about me and stuff, but I also know that they come up to me out of pity. I mean, I don't blame them. I would probably be doing the same thing for someone who was in my position, but once in a while it would be okay for someone to just come up to me just to crack some lame joke and be normal. The only person at school that has been treating me "normal" has been Kelsi. She seems to understand that I don't want pity from others. Just normality. She well, acts normal around, speaks normally…and yeah I think you get it.

In the Kanbara household, I'm pretty much treated like a daughter. Actually, me and Mrs. Kanbara are going shopping tomorrow. She wants to buy her family gifts. I also want to buy them stuff, they have been so nice to me, it will only be a small token of my gratitude. Back to the family thing, I'm included in everything they do. I cook with them, I eat with them, and play around with them. Now I get annoyed with Shinya, and Takuya, of course! How good it feels to well, feel normal. I really like that. Well, with Takuya, it's bee ns o weird. One morning I was dressed for school, but I was going to the therapy session. I was helping Mrs. Kanbara with breakfast. I was all normal, jolly happy as can be, when I heard Takuya ask his mom what day it was. Naturally, I turned around. He was wearing only boxers! So disturbing. Never AGAIN!

Another group of people who act normal around me are the guys: Kouichi, Koji, and Tommy. Even J.P. who is in college speaks to me like nothing has happened. We all talk to him over the phone. Me, Takuya, Tommy, Koji, Kouichi, and J.P. go way, way back. But since J.P. is one year older, he's in college. They and Kelsi joke around like before the accident. It could also be that Takuya spoke with them, or they are just doing that.

Talking about Takuya, I can say he has been the most supportive one out of ALL the people I know. He just makes me feel so much better when he speaks and jokes around with me. His jokes and way of talking are so comforting, and well, likable, that it makes me forget about everything wrong that has happened this month. He's great. I feel just right around him, that at times I feel really hot around him. Not how I look, just how I feel inside. It would be weird if I thought myself as hot, awkward. But what could it be? I-is it that I l-like…him? Nah! He's like a brother to me… right?

Well, I gotta go. Today I'm going to Kelsi's house to do some studying. We both get good grades, so we try to stay on track when we study together. Kelsi will be here in 10 minutes to pick me up. See ya!

Zoe.

* * *

**Oooh! What is this?…Is Zoe feeling some different feelings that she never knew she felt, or is it that she had already felt these feelings but she just didn't know she felt like that…yeah! **

**This chapter was sort of like Zoe's diary in the way. She tells her "diary" (us) how she feels about what is going on. It's also another way to explain what happens in the boring days! These will always be a lot shorter that other chapters. **

**I really don't want to type…I feel lazy. (I'n not even gonna put an exclamation mark because I'm so lazy.)**

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**

**Takuya: But you just put the exclamation mark there…**

**Me: shut up!**

**Takuya: …and there…**

**Me: ugh…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Here is chapter 6! It's slightly long. I had to split it into two chapters…………Okay! I also have a poll in my profile. It's about Zoe so go check it out!**

**Enjoy your reading!**

* * *

Chapter 6: December 11 continued

"Alright Mrs. Kanbara!" yelled Zoe. "Kelsi's here. I'm leaving!

"That's fine! Study hard!" answered Mrs. Kanbara.

"Let's go-woah!" said Zoe as she opened the door, just to see a bunch of guys her age come in.

"Hey!" greeted the boys. "Whatup!"

And lastly, Takuya came in.

"Hey Taki," greeted Zoe, seeing that Takuya didn't even see both girls there. "Who are they?"

"Oh, I didn't even see you guys there," he told them. "Since you're soo short!"

"What ever…" said Kesli. "Who are they?"

"Well, they are my soccer team. We're in the same team at school," he explained.

"Oh-bye!" said Zoe as she was about to close the door, Kelsi going outside before her.

"Hey wait…where are you going?" he asked them.

"Well, we actually care about our grades, so I'm going to Kelsi's house to study," she said looking at the boys. "And good thing I'm going."

"Hey! Dudes!" he asked for the attention of his team members. "Shut up! This is Zoe, the blonde one, and Kelsi, the dark haired one! Say Hi!"

"Hi Zoe! Hi Kelsi!" came a chorus of deep voiced boys. Some were very high-pitched. [seriously, when are they going to stop joking around?!]

"Hi! I'm Nick!" said a tall, dark-haired guy.

"Don't pay attention to him," said another one pushing Nick away. "I'm Joe!"

"And I'm Kevin!" said a curly haired one. [hormones...-_-]

"We would love to meet you all…" started Kelsi.

"…but we really have to go! Bye!" finished Zoe. And the girls quickly left.

Just then the phone rang. Takuya rushed pushing some guys to the side to go pick it up.

"Hello…?" he answered nonchalantly.

"Hi, is this where Miss Zoe Orimoto is living?" asked a woman.

"Yeah…" he answered.

"Well, this is the Shibuya Hospital. We are calling to inform her that her parents have just passed away…" she said indifferently.

"What?!" screamed Takuya. The soccer team quieted down as they heard their captain scream.

"Yes, first it was her father who died about two hours ago. Her mother started to show signs of difficult breathing and she died about 15 minutes ago. Tell her that the only reason she survived was because she was sitting in the back passenger seat to the right, opposite of the impact. Also tell her to contact us so we can give her the bodies. Thank you," said the woman, still indifferently. Then she hung up.

"Wait! Don't hang up!" yelled Takuya again, but stopped when he heard the line go dead. [I know this is probably the wrong time, but I just have to say this…the line also died…] Then he slammed the phone back to the little receiver thingy. "How am I going to tell her this?" he whispered to himself.

"Tell who what," randomly asked Joe.

"Wait. Where is Zoe? Did she already leave? " asked Takuya nervously and quickly.

"Woah..dude. Calm down! She already left with her friend," answered Nick. "We heard the car go away."

"Damn it!" cursed Takuya. He looked at the time. It was 4:10 pm. He then looked outside to find it heavily raining outside. _Zoe…how can I tell you this…_ he thought.

He then turned to his visitors.

_-----------Two hours later_

"Bye Kelsi! Thanks again!" thanked Zoe. "Uh! Don't slip!" she chuckled a little as she closed the door.

"Zoe! Is that you?" called Mrs. Kanbara. "Can you come to the dining room? And Takuya, please come to the dining room too!"

Takuya was coming down the steps. _Dammit!_ he thought and headed towards the dining room.

"Hey Z…" he said lsot in his thoughts.

Zoe noticed his expression. "Hey! ...Is something wrong…?"

He just escorted he r to the living room. When they got there Zoe noticed the faces of the whole Kanbara family.

"Um…is there something wrong?" she asked warily.

"Um…Zoe. We got a phone call today…" started Mrs. Kanbara. She was struggling to get her words out.

_Why is Mrs. Kanbara struggling…she rarely doubts things…_ thought Zoe.

Mrs. Kanbara continued. "Takuya, you should tell her, you were the one to receive the call…"

Takuya looked at his mother. _"Seriously mom, now you want me to talk?_ he nagged.

He started. "Well…um…Zoe. When you left to Kelsi's house we got a phone call from the hospital."

Zoe nodded. _Where is he heading?_ she asked herself.

"And…um…the lady told me to…tell you…that-um…today…," he said pausing a little.

Zoe was getting frustrated. "Takuya, just say it!"

Takuya walked towards her. He looked right into her eyes. "Zoe, your parents died today…" he said feeling really bad.

Zoe's eyes grew wide. "What?!" Her eyes were filling up with tears. Her legs felt weak and wobbly. She shook her head. "No…it can't be…no…" She put her hand on her forehead and shook her head. She lowered he gaze to the ground.

"Zoe, dear…" said Mrs. Kanbara trying to comfort the young girl.

Zoe was still shaking her head in disbelief. Takuya was getting closer to comfort her, but she ran towards the door.

"Zoe! Don't!" yelled Takuya and ran after her. He was smart enough to get a jacket and went out the door. [finally he used the thing inside his head!]

He looked at all his directions. He saw the blonde girl run down the block to his right. "Damn it Zoe!" he cursed under his breath and ran in the direction she was going.

It was about 6:30 pm. It was raining really badly out side. Since it was winter, the rain was really cold. To top that the temperature was round the 40 degrees mark. [In Fahrenheit, just FYI]

Zoe was crying. _Mom, dad, why? Why did you leave me?_ she thought. She was becoming soaking wet as she ran.

_One of my important times of my life is coming up…and you leave me? …Both of you?_ Tears were cascading down her face and they were mixing with the rain that was also falling. She was also shivering a little.

Takuya was catching up to her. Since he was a soccer player, he had both speed and resistance. Where as Zoe only had speed and she got tired quickly.

She started to slow down.

"Zoe! Stop! Wait!" shouted Takuya.

Zoe heard him and looked back. Finally her legs would not allow her to keep running. She was breathing heavily and stopped right where the block ended.

She didn't want Takuya to see her. _No Takuya…_

In a few seconds, Takuya had already reached where she was. She had ran about two or three blocks from the house.

"Zoe…" said Takuya and took her in his arms.

* * *

**Okay first part of this continued part of December 11. I just realized this, and I don't know if others have realized it, but the dates follow this year's dates. So this year there was actually a December 11****th**** on a Friday, and a 4****th**** of December on a Friday! Cool! Also make sure to check out the poll in my profile! I really want to know what you all think.**

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is Chapter 7, I think. This is my last update for the year, so next one will be the first of the new decade! Oooohhh! And I also continued what I have to say in the bottom…so Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: December 11 continued, continued…

"_Zoe! Stop! Wait!" shouted Takuya._

_Zoe heard him and looked back. Finally her legs would not allow her to continue running. She was breathing heavily and stopped right where the block ended._

_She didn't want Takuya to see her. No Takuya…_

_In a few seconds, Takuya had already reached where she was. She had ran about two or three blocks from the house._

"_Zoe…" said Takuya and took her in his arms._

_------------Meanwhile in Kanbara house_

"Oh, I hope Takuya stopped her…" said Mrs. Kanbara worried.

"I think so. He's a quick runner. I think he did," he reassured his wife. He looked out the window.

"I feel so bad…she really loved them," she said, lamenting the loss.

Mr. Kanbara, seeing his sentimental wife with tears in her eyes, went to her and hugged her.

"Don't worry. Zoe's a strong girl. She'll make it…" he said to her and gave her a small peck in the cheek.

_-------------Back to Takuya and Zoe_

She let him hug her while she cried in his chest.

"Why Takuya? Why?" she asked between sobs.

"Zoe, please, you have to be strong…" he said stroking her hair.

"Takuya, how can I?" she asked. "They were my support. They were the ones who were there for me in good and bad times…"

"I know Zoe, but they'll still be with you…" he told her. "…maybe not up in your face, skin and bones, and all, but in spirit."

"Takuya…I'm alone …in the world…"

The young man had taken them under some random part of a house that had a small roof. They were not getting as wet.

Takuya looked at Zoe right in the eyes. He saw the sad and lonely emerald orbs that were in her beautiful face.

"Zoe, you're not lonely…You have Kelsi, my family, even the idiots of Koji, Kouichi, Tommy, and even J.P. They will support you. They care for you like family."

The girl looked at the young boy. She has his hazel, chocolate eyes .They were sincere and concerned. She was still crying, but stopped as she saw the boy lower his head to come eye to eye with her. He placed both his hands on her cheeks.

He continued. "And Zoe. You also have me. I'll never leave you alone." Having her beautiful, gentle, and soft face so close to his tempted him to kiss her right then, but decided not to because of the situation. He wanted to make everything go away.

Instead he just embraced her again. He felt how she was shivering in his arms.

Zoe felt his warmth. She never wanted to let go. But he did.

"Here, wear my jacket, you're soaking wet," he said gingerly putting his jacket on her. She slowly zipped it up.

To her surprise, Takuya picked her up. She was being carried in his arms. "_He's strong…_" she thought.

"Let's go home…" he whispered to her ear. She buried her head in his chest.

"Thank you Takuya…" she finally said in a low whisper.

"You're welcome," he whispered back and started walking back home.

_-------------In the Kanbara house_

It had been about twenty minutes since Takuya had run after Zoe.

"Alright, let's go after them," said Mr. Kanbara.

Right when he opened the door, he saw his son carrying the young girl in his arms.

"Oh, son, good, come in! Hurry!" said the father nervously.

"Oh my! You're both wet! Come dry off!" ordered Takuya's concerned mother.

"Yeah, I will, let me just take Zoe to her room…" he said. "We're here…I'm taking you to your room, okay?" he added gingerly.

He felt the young girl nod as he ascended the stairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara exchanged glances. Although at a time like this, they both found themselves smiling at the sweetness between both teens.

"What? Why are you two smiling?" asked Shinya after seeing his parents smile. He truly was confused. [seriously Shinya?]

Takuya pushed the door open with his foot. He sat Zoe in her bed, and then he sat beside her. The girl lowered he gaze in sadness.

"Okay, I'm going to let you change and—" he said but was interrupted by Zoe who had put her arms around his neck. He hugged her back.

"Thank you," she said into his chest. "I don't know what I'll do without you…don't leave me alone…"

"Don't worry, once you're done changing, I'll be waiting outside," he said quietly adding a smile.

As Takuya closed the door behind him, he saw his parents waiting outside.

"How is she feeling?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Ok, I guess," stated Takuya as he rubbed his neck. Then he added, "Um…I'm gonna stay with her…in there…until she feels better…"

Mrs. Kanbara was about to say something, but Mr. Kanbara stopped her by speaking first. "That's fine. We'll be checking up every so often…" And with that the parents left.

Takuya spent the rest of the afternoon in Zoe's room. He was sitting up on the bed, and Zoe was laying her back on him. He would have his arms around her, while Zoe would cry in them. They barely spoke. Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara and Shinya would check up on them periodically.

Finally, Zoe fell asleep. It was about 10:30 in the night. Takuya laid her down and placed her blanket over her. Without thinking, Takuya kissed Zoe's forehead and left the room. As he was walking down to the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks. "_Whoa! What did I just do?!"_ He asked himself with widen eyes. He began to walk again, slowly at first, but quickly picked up his pace.

"How is she?" asked Mrs. Kanbara in the kitchen.

"She fell asleep," he answered standing next to his mother.

"…Are you hungry, sweetie?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he said and put his thoughts aside.

* * *

**Wow, it took food for him to just forget what just had happened… good job Takuya -_-….**

**Takuya: What…? It's food. Food always makes everything better!**

**Me: Go away! Also I want you guys to check out the poll! It has an explanation in my profile as to why I'm doing this…so read it and then vote! You can also comment on that. I really want to know what you guys think!**

**Well, I want to wish you all a happy New Year! It's the end of the decade, so let's hope the best for a new one! !****Esta fue Utsukushii con el ultimo capitulo del año! ¡Feliz 2010!**

**Takuya: Yeah, what she said!**

**Me: Go!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Again! Here is chapter 8! The first chapter of the year! Yay! **

**Oh, and I have been checking the poll results. Ha! My sisters are total losers! But I love them! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8: December 12

Her eyes opened. The winter sun was now hitting her face. She groaned at the words that replayed in her mind "_Zoe, your parents died today…"_ She remembered what had happened the day before.

"My parents…" she muttered.

She got up and went to the bathroom. She looked herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her face showed the deep sadness she felt.

She could only sigh and try to stop the tears that were collecting in her eyes. She then took a shower.

Mrs. Kanbara had heard Zoe's footsteps from the kitchen. "I wonder if she'll still like to go shopping today…"

"I don't know," answered her husband who was standing next to her. "…It would be nice for her to just go out, I guess."

"Yeah, but also she would probably not be in the right mood to go," retorted Mrs. Kanbara.

"Then don't ask her to go shopping with you…" said her husband taking a seat.

"No…but it would also be good for her to get out and breathe some fresh air!" disagreed Mrs. Kanbara.

"Do whatever you think is good for her…" said Mr. Kanbara

Minutes later Zoe appeared in the kitchen. She wore blue jeans, chucks, and a purple hoodie sweater.

"God morning, Zoe. How are you feeling?" asked the concerned Mrs, Kanbara.

"Um…okay, I guess…" answered Zoe, looking at the floor.

"Are you hungry? You should eat," said the older woman. "You didn't eat dinner last night."

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not all that hungry," answered Zoe.

"No, Zoe. You have to eat," insisted Mrs. Kanbara. "At least a little bit."

Mrs. Kanbara handed Zoe a plate of waffles. Zoe thanked her but only looked down at the plate. After a few minutes she would pick up her fork and started taking small bites.

Then asked Mrs, Kanbara, "So, Zoe, I was wondering if you were still interested in going shopping with me today?"

Zoe looked up at Mrs. Kanbara. "Shopping?"

"Yeah…we can go shopping for Christmas gifts and for things for ourselves," said Mrs. Kanbara with a smile. "I've never done this before. You know, because I only have boys in the house. What do you say?"

Zoe thought for a moment. "_She's treating me like a…daughter?_"

"Sure, I guess I can go," answered Zoe. "I can always study for exams in the afternoon."

_----------Later, in the Mall_

"So…what should I get my sons?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Uh, what?—Sorry, I-uh, what did you say?" apologized Zoe.

"Oh, just what I should get my boys, all three of them…" said Mrs. Kanbara changing her question slightly.

"Oh, I'm not sure…shopping for men is very hard in my opinion," answered Zoe. "It was always hard to shop for my dad…in any occasion." Zoe lowered her gaze and became quiet.

"I'm sorry Zoe. I didn't mean to—" said Mrs. Kanbara embarrassed.

"It's okay…" Zoe said trying to sound normal.

They entered a random department. They looked all around. Mrs. Kanbara chose stuff to Zoe andshe would aither approve of it or disapprove.

This routine continued until Zoe said, " I would also like to buy some presents for them…you know, your family…"

"Zoe, you don't have to bother yourself doing that," disagreed Mrs. Kanbara nicely. "They would not care whether you gave something or not. They're men, there kind of…well…clueless." [no offense to guys out there!]

"Yeah, but I really want to give them something," replied Zoe.

After a few more of choosing and picking gifts, they were now waiting in line for the cash register. After a few moments of silence, Mrs. Kanbara spoke.

"You like my son, right?" she asked.

Zoe was taken by surprise by her question. "What?" she asked thinking she had heard wrong.

"You like Takuya, you know, you have strong feelings for him, right?" Mrs. Kanbara asked clearing her up a little.

Zoe blushed madly and was not sure what to say.

"That's okay!" replied Mrs. Kanbara after seeing Zoe's response. "I knew that ever since you and him met, and when I met you, that there were strong feelings between you to!" Mrs. Kanbara smiled and turned to the cash register.

Zoe grew even more red then what she was before. "_A strong connection? Eversince we met? That was like…what?- six, seven years ago?"_ she thought.

Zoe then paid for her gifts. Although she had been asked such an awkward question, she grew a little happier.

Mrs. Kanbara noticed Zoe's change. "_Good thing she is happy…"_she thought and smiled.

Although they had already bought gifts, the two ladies continued looking around the mall.

"Zoe, sorry to bring this up,but…how do you feel about losing your parents?" asked the older woman. "I hope I'm not saying something wrong."

Zoe's smile faded. "Um…I feel...sad, lonely…and sort of insecure. My parents were with me in everything, so to tell you the truth; I don't know what I'll do now. But I'm glad I'm with a family that cares for each other, and that cares for me. I'm also glad that I have supportive friends and Takuya who has always supported me in everything." Zoe blushed a little at her last comment, remembering what Mrs. Kanbara had said earlier.

"Well, we're glad you are part of the family now," said Mrs. Kanbara.

Zoe could not hold her tears any longer. She started to cry and hugged Mrs. Kanbara. Mrs. Kanbara, in return, gave Zoe a motherly hug.

Zoe then wiped her tears and said, "But I can't be crying all the time. I'm still here and I have to continue living my life, always remembering my parents along the way.

"_She is so strong, although she says she doesn't know what she wants, it is clear she does,_" thought Mrs. Kanbara.

"Oh, um, can I ask you something?" asked Zoe.

Mrs. Kanbara nodded.

"Can we go home, I have to study for midterms, and…yeah…" said Zoe sheepishly.

Mrs. Kanbara agreed and both went back home, to where the men were waiting.

* * *

**Okay, I really didn't know how to finish the chapter so yeah! Well, I hope the first day of the year is going alright, and yeah!**

**Takuya: I for one…...am fine…too-day!**

**Koji: Yep! Me tooooooooooo!**

**Me: are you guys drunk?!**

**Koji and Takuya: Noooo! We are to-tally fine!**

**Takuya: Hey Zoe! Babe!**

**Zoe: Eek! Hide me!**

**Me: Okay…these guys are drunk, so Zoe and I will just go… Come on Zoe say it with me!**

**Me and Zoe: Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alrighty chapter nine! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9: December 17

Alright. These past four days were horrible. So I started midterms on Monday. I. HATE. THEM. I had AP Calculus and AP English that day. Horrible! I studied for them and all, but- ugh! I mean I don't think I did badly, but it felt as though I would never finish them! Oh, and Takuya also started his midterms…I prayed for him… [so would I…]. On Tuesday, I had easier ones: Physics and a study hall, but since I don't have a test for study hall, yeah, I only had one test that day!

That day I also went to see my parents. Although I kept telling myself to not cry, what did I do? Yep! Cry. The whole Kanbara family joined me. Oh, not in crying, only Mrs. Kanbara, but to the hospital. They all kept telling that everything would be okay and all that stuff. But every time Takuya would tell me something, I would just turn really hot inside. It would make me cry less, I guess because I knew I was turning red. So I tried to concentrate on what I was doing.

I met the lady that called last Friday. I hate her. Takuya told me every thing else she said when she called. Oh, I'm also a millionaire. Apparently, my parents were rich and there was a will that said that incase of their death, I would receive about $10 million. That also meant that the house was mine, both houses in Japan and Italy. The lawyer, Mr. Parker, came to the hospital to tell us this. Man I love that man! He has been a family friend forever. The only thing was that we were all surprised at the news. Takuya and Shinya kept looking at each other with their mouths opened. That was kinda annoying. Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara just looked at each other, and I nearly fainted…okay, I did faint. Don't laugh at me! I woke up in Takuya's arms after…that was unnecessary information…moving on…

On Wednesday, I had AP Government and a class called International Relations. We do all these things and talk about world issues and what not, but I like the class. But…I hated the tests! They were hard! I hope I didn't do too bad…

Today was our last day of midterms! I had my easiest exam yet: Italian! That day was also Takuya's last day of midterms, but since he had two, I had to wait a little while longer before I could actually get picked up. Today was also my parents' funeral. When Takuya came to pick me up he asked me if I was ready. I really wasn't paying attention so I was just lost. Then he repeated his question. "You know, today... Your parents' funeral..." Right, my parents' funeral. Was I ready? I don't know…

_---------Flashback_

_The air was cold outside. There was a strong wind gust._

"Even the wind came to support me…_"thought Zoe looking past the horizon and facing the wind._

_All those she loved were there: the Kanbara family, her friends Kelsi, Koji, Kouichi, Tommy, and even J.P._

"_We all came to support you!" said J.P coming from nowhere._

"_J.P!" cried Zoe and gave him a hug._

_Behind J.P. were the rest of her friends. Each gave her a hug of sympathy. Kelsi was last._

"_I know this is probably the wrong time…but I must warn you…" started Kelsi._

"_What? What's wrong?" asked Zoe warily._

"_Please don't wear all black again! It doesn't look right on you…" blurted Kelsi._

"_Seriously Kelsi? Seriously?!" said Zoe in disbelief._

_Mrs. Kanbara came up to Zoe. "Zoe, where is all your family?" she asked the young girl._

"_Oh…um…Mrs. Kanbara, to tell you the truth, both sides of my family could care less about my parents…"started Zoe._

_Mrs. Kanbara gave a puzzled face._

"_My dad's side of the family," started Zoe, "never cared for him. They never included him any matters of the family. And my mom's side is very stuck up. They're from Italy so they think they are better than everyone else, just because of their high social status. But what both have in common is that they would only come close to us if and only if they needed something. My parents would always receive them with open arms and neither side would appreciate that!" Zoe started crying letting out all her anger._

_Mrs. Kanbara hugged her for a long while then asked, "But do they know what has happened?"_

_Zoe looked at her. "Yeah, I made sure with Mr. Parker to call them for me. I didn't want to have contact with them."_

_After a while, the funeral began. Zoe looked down at her parents."_Why did you have to go?" _she kept asking herself._

_Kelsi was crying along with Zoe. They both were hugging each other looking into the ground. Slowly, little by little, they were disappearing into the ground."_I'll make you proud…"_ Zoe thought._

_Everyone around Zoe was as sad as she was. Zoe's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara were great people. Although Zoe's description of her family was horrible, they had nothing in common._

_After a while, people began to leave. Each went to Zoe and reassured her that she will make it through this. _

"_Keep fighting Z," said Kelsi, as she, Koji, and Kouichi were leaving. Then both twins hugged Zoe, wished for her to feel better, and left._

_After a few more minutes there was no one there but the Kanbara family and Zoe._

_Takuya and Shinya went to Zoe to comfort her, for she was now facing her parents' grave._

"_Thanks…" she told them, still facing the graves._

_They both hugged her, but after a while Shinya left. _[was little Shinya scared of the graves?]

_Takuya and Zoe, however remained in the same position. Takuya stroked Zoe's soft blond hair._

"_Takuya why?" she asked aloud._

_He didn't answer. He himself did not know the answer. [who knows? I know for sure Takuya, do I know? ...maybe… ]_

"_It'll be okay…" answered Takuya. That was all he could say._

_--------------End flashback_

…So yeah, I was very sad. But I felt loved with all those people around me. I felt the hope that they all gave me, especially Takuya…I guess the only annoying thing was how everyone kept saying that everything was going to be fine and all that crap. I guess it will be, but do they really have to repeat it? I guess I'm just too depressed right know to even think right.

Tomorrow is my last day of school before Christmas break! I guess I'll just have to be strong and expect people to ask me how I am. Oh great…

Zoe.

* * *

**Alright, so I guess Zoe is sad?**

**Zoe: What gave you that clue?**

**Me: Whatever…So yeah, my sister has been on the computer doing her 10 page report of whatever, so It got really late before I could update. But here it is! Just for you guys to know, for the next days, I'm going to be updating slower and slower. School is starting, my sisters are nosy, and we only have one computer. I'll be trying to type at school and all, but trying to upload at home, so let's see how that works out. Expect one (at least) update per week. Sorry…**

**Zoe: Oh, that's too sad, I guess that means less takumi! Right? Am I right?**

**Me: No. sorry Zoe, but Takumi will continue for ever, and ever and ever and ever and ever…**

**Zoe: ugh! *Leaves***

**Me: and ever and ever…she left, aw man! So yeah, Esta fue Utsukushii!**

**Takuya: and ever and ever and ever and ever**

**Me: You can stop now…**

**Takuya: and ever and ever…**

**Me: aaahhh! *leaves***

**Takuya: and ever and ever (random rock is thrown to head) ouch!**

**Koji: heehee…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Takuya: Why did Koji throw me a random rock?!**

**Me: I don't think it was Koji…*looks away***

**Koji: Don't lie! You know only **_**I**_** could have done that!**

**Me: Right…So here is chapter 10! Sorry it took soo long to get this chapter up, but we were having computer problems…so now I hope you enjoy!**

**Koji: Why do you say enjoy? What if they don't enjoy it, then it would not apply.**

**Me: It's called being polite, go away misanthrope!**

**Koji: Why do people call me that! *leaves while stumping***

* * *

Chapter 10: December 18

"Are you okay?" asked a random girl.

"Yeah, I'm okay…" answered Zoe.

Zoe was waiting outside. It was the last day of school and Christmas day had just begun. She was waiting for Takuya to arrive.

"That's good Zoe, I'm glad!" answered the random girl. "Well, I have to go. Merry Christmas!" The girl left.

"_Man! That was like the tenth _billion_ time someone has asked me how I am!"_ Zoe yelled internally.

After a few minutes of waiting impatiently, Zoe finally saw Takuya appear.

"Hey!" she greeted as she got inside the car.

"Hey! How was your last day?" he asked noticing her annoyed look on her face.

"Alright, only that people kept asking how I was…" she said and glared at him.

"Oh…" he said and looked at the road as he was driving,

After a few minutes, Takuya spoke again.

"Hey Zoe…um you know how we're off school or whatever and how Christmas is coming up, would you like to help—"

Zoe interrupted him. "Help you shop for Christmas presents?"

"Uh, yeah…" he said. "Please!"

"Oh, you procrastinator!" she joked and hit him in his arm lightly.

"So are you going to help me?" he asked.

'Of course I will, but we'll have to keep it on the down low, you know so your family won't know."

"Right, so maybe we can say that we went out…um…to, you know celebrate that we're out of school or something…" Takuya said quickly and took a right turn.

_------------At the Mall_

"So…." voiced Takuya. "What should I get my family?"

"You have no idea what so ever?" she asked in disbelief.

"Nope!" he said and grinned.

Zoe only slapped herself in the forehead.

So the two teens looked everywhere. They entered many different stores. Takuya was looking at guy stuff with Zoe close behind.

"So, for guys…" she began, "…what would you buy them?"

"Oh, pretty much just anything. As long as it's not socks or something," he said looking at some guy stuff. "It could be crap and we'd be happy with it, I guess." [is it true?]

Zoe could not help but laugh.

"Hey you laughed!" he pointed out. Zoe looked at the boy incredulously.

"What? I wanted you to laugh…" Takuya said meekly and looked the other way. He started walking leaving Zoe a little far behind.

Zoe smiled and followed Takuya. They were now entering the men's department.

"What are you going to get your dad?" she asked walking next to him.

"Well…I can't just get him a tie or whatever…" he said looking around and picking up a tie.

"Oh, no Takuya, of course you can't, he's your dad get him something special!" she said. "Now that we're here in the suit department or whatever, why don't guys ever like wearing suits and tuxs or whatever?" She picked up a red tie.

"Um…I don't know," he started, "It's just that they are so…"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence and started blushing. Zoe put the red tie she was carrying around his neck.

"Okay. I don't know how to tie a tie!" she laughed. "But you would look great with this. I mean, all guys would. Even if they are the ugliest guys on earth they would look so much more elegant and attractive with a tux or whatever it's called on." [It's true! Guys do look so much cuter with suits on!] She was playing with the tie and lightly slapped the ends of the tie on Takuya's face.

She looked up to see the blushing Takuya, so she also blushed seeing how close she was to his face. So she moved back and put the tie back neatly.

"Are you OCD or something?" he asked and put the tie he had on his hands in a messy manner.

"Oh, I don't know!" she said and started walking. He followed close behind.

After a while, Takuya had already bought for his father and brother. Now he had another problem: what he would buy his mother.

"Hey Zoe?" he asked the girl walking next to him.

"Uh huh?" she asked.

"What should I buy my mom?" he said.

"Something for women, duh!" she laughed.

"No. Obviously. But what for women?" he asked frustrated.

So Zoe took him to where the women department was located. Once they were there, Takuya spoke again.

"Now what?" he asked. [……………..it's going to continue -_-………………………………..etc.]

"We'll find something nice for her," said Zoe and started to look around.

They saw clothing, jewelry, and other stuff.

"Alright, we saw everything. What should I get her?" he asked. […………………………………..]

Zoe was about to give up until she saw a beautiful necklace: It was a rose shaped pendant, red in color with a gold chain. She picked it up. "What about this? Do you think she'll like it?"

"yeah, I think she will," she said doubtfully.

"Well, I think so too!" she said and handed it to him.

_------------At the food court_

"So are you sure my mom will like this?" Takuya asked still unsure.

"Yes!" she said very loudly.

They were sitting on a table eating some burgers. They had been shopping for about two hours. [that's Takuya's fault!]

"So…Zoe…" Takuya said looking at another direction. "What do you want for Christmas?"

"Uh…Why the question?" she asked looking at the boy.

"Oh, just because…" he started the struggle. "Oh what the hell, I'll just say it." Zoe's curiosity grew.

"I want to buy you something, but I don't know what! There I said it!" he said throwing his hands in the air.

"Um., Takuya please you don' have to," she said quietly. She started to blush a little.

"No. I want to and ther is nothing you can do to stop me!" he said childishly.

"Takuya! Why are you so childish!" laughed Zoe. [um…Zoe…I just said that…]

"Ha! You're laughing again!" he said in an accomplished tone.

Zoe couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Takuya."

"Come on let's go!" he said grabbing her hand, running and leading her away from the food court. "I'm going to buy you a present!"

* * *

**I didn't like this chapter! I went back to school this past Monday! Boooo! Oh, and I split it into two chaps, I kinda felt lazy and it would get too long!**

**Takuya: That's what you get for being mean!**

**Me: Go away!**

**Takuya: *Sees the random girl from beginning of story* Hey! What's up!**

**Zoe: Stop flirting around with girls like that!**

**Takuya: Why? Are you jealous?**

**Zoe: No. I'm just concerned for the other girls in the world. You might scare them!**

**Takuya: Are you scared?**

**Zoe: Get away you pervert! *Runs away***

**Me: Wait for me Zoe! I will do this quickly…Esta fue Utsukushiiiiiiiiii! Aaaaahhhhh! A pervert is on the loose!**

**Takuya: I'm not a pervert, hey wait!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! Now you are entering the age of midweek updates! Yay! No just kidding. So here is chapter 11! Hope you guys enjoy, it's pretty much the continuation of Takuya and Zoe's shopping experience, with of course a little something different at the end, so enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11: December 18 continued

"_Ha! You're laughing again!" he said in an accomplished tone. _

_Zoe couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Takuya."_

"_Come on let's go!" he said grabbing her hand, running and leading her away from the food court. "I'm going to buy you a present!" _

"Takuya, why are we running?" asked Zoe, noticing the unnecessary exercise.

"Oh, right, ha!" said Takuya and stopped running. He was still holding Zoe's hand.

Zoe was going to say something about it but decided to remain silent. She felt nice having Takuya hold her hand. They had never really done it before, so this was sort of new to her.

"_He's so loving and funny. So unaware of everything…_" she thought.

She tightened her grip. Right then Takuya realized what was going on, so he let her go.

"Oh, sorry Zoe I didn't realize I was, you know, um, yeah…" he said scratching the back of his neck.

Zoe grabbed his hand again, however. "It's okay. I don't mind at all," she said and blushed.

Takuya smiled.

They continued walking through the mall. Seeing the eager children run through the stores and seeing all the toys. The were parents trying to calm down their children. Then they saw some children line up impatiently. They were waiting for their turn to speak to Santa for what they want for Christmas.

"Look! Santa!" said Takuya ardently [wow Takuya seriously…]

"Oh, gosh…" said Zoe in disbelief.

They stood at a distance laughing at the children.

"Do you remember when we were younger, and when we met?" asked Takuya.

"Yeah, it was such a…different experience. You know, hard to explain," she answered him [was it digital!]

"Wait. Weren't you taller than me though?" he joked.

"Yeah…but let's not go there, okay?" she said [again, stupid puberty!]

"Yeah, now I'm taller than you by like a foot!" he joked. [I think someone wants to get smacked!]

"Whatever…" she said. "And it's not a foot, it's more like…8 inches?"

After a few more minutes of joking and laughing, Takuya remembered about Zoe's gift.

"Alright, let's go get your gift!" he said and again guided her to a near by department store.

"Oh, dang it! I thought you would forget!" she nagged.,

" Zoe I would never forget anything that ahs to do with you," said Takuya kindly.

Zoe smiled.

AT the entrance of the store, Takuya said, "Alright. What would you like?"

"Um are you sure?" she asked again. [stop asking gosh, he's sure dang it!]

"Zoe, please. Stop asking," he said with a melancholy voice. [Thank you Takuya!]

He took her hand again and they walked through the center aisle of the store. "Okay, I think that you will like…some type of…jewelry!" he said. "Am I right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess…" she answered quietly.

"_Why is he doing this?_" she asked herself

They were now on the Jewelry department.

"Okay, choose anything you like!" he said.

Zoe, still unsure of whether to accept the offer, went looking at the different types of jewelry. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, charms, were all to her wanting. She saw a beautiful purple butterfly pendant with a silver chain. She picked it up and was going to show Takuya when she saw the price.

"_Forty-five dollars for this!" _she was amazed at the price for such a small thing. She put it back.

But she couldn't stop staring at it. It was such a beautiful piece of jewelry. It was a small butterfly made up of purple stone. It reminded her of a beautiful childhood memory. [can anyone guess?]

She both loved the color purple and the butterfly. Takuya was watching her carefully.

She continued looking around however. Then she saw a heart pendant with a silver chain. It was surrounded by red stones and the chain was directly connected to it. This time Zoe checked the price before anything else.

"_Hmm…20 dollars, a more reasonable price…"_ she thought.

Before she could say anything Takuya had already gone up to her.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom. Choose something and yeah, I'll just come back soon," he said and left.

Zoe however had already chosen her gift. Although she chose the heart necklace, she continued to think about the butterfly necklace. She took the time to compare the two. Since there were many copies of the same merchandise, she picked up a butterfly necklace that was near by. The heart necklace was shorter from the chain than the butterfly necklace. The actual butterfly was actually bigger than the heart.

Scared that Takuya might come back soon and see her comparing the two necklaces, she put the butterfly necklace back and returned to her previous position.

After about 5 minutes, Takuya came back. [why so long, huh?]

"So…are you ready?" asked Takuya casually.

"Yeah, I would like this one!" she said happily. She showed him the heart pendant.

"Alright, let's go," he said, heading towards the cash register.

While Takuya was paying for the gift, Zoe was thinking a few feet away. She had offered to carry his bags, but Takuya refused to give them to her.

"_He can be so awkward at times, but then again, he's so sweet."_

One Takuya was done paying and they were heading towards the car, Zoe spoke.

"Takuya, I'm sorry I made you spend 20 dollars on me, you really shouldn't have done that," she said sadly.

"What?" said Takuya confused. "Twenty dollars? What are you talking about?"

"Wait. What? Didn't you pay twenty dollars for the necklace?" she asked, remembering exactly what the box read.

"No! Zoe, today, all the stuff in that store was 75% off, didn't you notice?" he said laughing at the girl. "Pretty much everything in this mall was discounted!" [uh! Where is this mall! Cheap stuff!]

Zoe shook her head in disbelief.

"It only cost five dollars, can you believe it! What a surprise!" he said still laughing.

Zoe mentally slapped herself. She was picturing the butterfly pendant.

"Let's go home," he said still smiling.

He put his arm around her shoulders. Zoe looked at him confused.

"Oh….sorry…I don't…It…um…I don't…" he was stuttering and was about to take his arm away.

Zoe however held on to it. "No, it's alright, Takuya…" she smiled and blushed a little more than last time. [a darker shade of red that pretty much is more noticeable than the last time, yeah, I think you guys get it…]

She was really flabbergasted, but happy that she was with him.

_------------20 minutes later _

They finally arrived home. Takuya however could not park where he usually parks. In his place was a blue Mercedes.

"Whoa, do we have visitors?" he said. Zoe was also confused.

As they entered the house, Takuya yelled, "Mom! We're home!"

"Zoe, Takuya, please come to the living room," came the voice of Mrs. Kanbara. Her voice sounded a little apprehensive.

Once the two teens got to the living room, Zoe's eyes grew wide. She grew a little pale.

"Aunt Antonella! Uncle Tomas!" she gasped.

"Hello Zoe," answered the lady. "We've been waiting for you."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun, duuuuun! Oh, who can these people be?**

**Koji: Maybe Zoe's family members?**

**Me: What makes you think that?**

**Koji: Oh, I don't know, maybe when Zoe said: "Aunt Antonella! Uncle Tomas!"**

**Me: Dude, that was a great girl voice imitation!**

**Koji: I wasn't imitating a girl's voice…T-T**

**Me: oooohhh, well, that was it! For Today! I hope I'll be able to continue doing midweek updates. Let's just hope I'm not bombarded by work! Esta fue Utsukushii!**

**Koji: do I sound like a girl?**

**Me: Dude trust me you don't!**

**Koji: Why are you using dude so much?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! So here is chapter 12! I really don't have much to say now…so enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12: December 18 continued continued…

"Where were you guys?" asked Mrs. Kanbara. "Didn't you both have early dismissal because of exams?"

Takuya looked at Zoe.

"We were eating at the mall, you know, to celebrate our Christmas vacation…" answered Takuya.

Zoe was watching her family members intently.

"Zoe, is this your boyfriend? Is that why you're living here?" asked the lady.

"No," answered Zoe darkly. "They are family friends."

Zoe was too mad to even blush; Takuya on the other hand was blushing madly.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Zoe.

"Oh, well, we came to help you," said the lady with a smile.

"What? Help me?" said Zoe in disbelief. Her voice sounded very irritated. "You know, Aunt Antonella, my parents' funeral was yesterday, right? Why didn't you come help me yesterday?"

"Oh, we were too tired from our trip from Italy," said Aunt Antonella. "But I'm not exactly talking about supportive help, no, no, no!"

Zoe's eyes became dark.

Aunt Antonella continued. "Zoe, you're coming to live with us in Italy!"

Zoe 's eyes grew even wider than before. It couldn't be. "What?!...No, it can't be! That can't happen!"

"No, Zoe you must come with us," said Auntie [Again I'm feeling lazy with names, so this is Aunt Antonella from now on, unless otherwise stated!]. "We are your closest family members. Plus, we have legally dealt with it."

Zoe looked at Mrs. Kanbara who was quietly sitting on a couch, next to where Takuya was standing. "It's true," said Mrs. Kanbara quietly.

Zoe was collecting tears in her eyes. "But…my life here in…Japan…" she said.

"Now, Zoe, I know you might miss these people, but you know you have to go live with your kind of people," said Auntie getting up.

Zoe glared at her. "So you have a week until you leave with us to Italy. The Sunday after Christmas, we will come pick you up. We'll be in your house if you need us," said Auntie.

Zoe felt her blood boiling in her veins. "That's not a week," she said cockily.

"What? Do you want to come with us next Friday then?" asked her Aunt with a bitter smile.

"No," answered Zoe lowering her head.

"Well, then that's settled. Let's go Tomas!" said Auntie and walked towards the door. Mrs. Kanbara went to escort them.

"So…you're leaving…"asked Takuya sadly.

"I can't believe this…" said Zoe and ran up to the stairs wiping her face.

Takuya watched her go. "Where did she go?" asked Mrs. Kanbara scaring Takuya slightly.

"Oh…Um, I think she went to her room, I'm gonna go see her…" he said and also ran upstairs. His mom slowly followed.

He knocked on Zoe's bedroom door.

"Yes…" came quiet voice from inside the room.

"It's me Takuya…" he said, but once he saw his mom coming, he added, "…and my mom."

"Come in…" came the voice again.

Zoe was sitting up on her bed crying. Mrs. Kanbara entered the room and sat next to Zoe and hugged her.

"Zoe what's wrong? Why don't you want to go with your family?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Because they don't care for me, Mrs. Kanbara!" said Zoe between sobs. "Their either doing this for their image because they work for the government, or they just feel like torturing me! I don't know!"

Mrs. Kanbara did not know what to say. Then Takuya spoke. He was leaning on the wall. "They're asshole…" he said.

Zoe raised her head. "Yes!"

"Takuya! Don't use that kind of language!" scolded his mother.

"I'm sorry mom, but it's true!" answered Takuya. "What kind of people just come up out of nowhere to demand so much, looking down at others as they do that?! They didn't even come to Zoe's parents' funeral! What kind of people are they?!"

"Assholes…" spoke Zoe.

Takuya looked at Zoe and started laughing. "You? Cursing?" he asked.

As Zoe heard this, she also started laughing.

Mrs. Kanbara couldn't help but smile. "You kids are so immature," said Mrs. Kanbara. "So are you feeling better, Zoe?"

Zoe nodded. "Yeah, I guess…" she said and wiped tears from her face. "So I have until Sunday, right?"

"Yeah…" said Mrs. Kanbara. " I'll go and prepare dinner." Mrs. Kanbara then left the room.

Takuya then spoke again. "So…are you going to say it again?" He was smirking.

"…No!" said Zoe and threw a pillow to his face. "I was just mad, gosh!"

"Well, now you know what to do when you're mad!" he said amused. He threw the pillow back, but Zoe caught it and smiled.

* * *

**Nooo! I really hate the-I mean, strongly dislike, the aunt! Gosh, can there be anyone more annoying!**

**Takuya: Hello!**

**Me: Oh, then I guess there can be….**

**Takuya: Can be what?**

**Me: You're annoying. A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G.**

**Takuya: No I'm not, just ask……**

**Me: ask who?**

**Takuya:….um….just ask….What ever, I'm not annoying! **leaves****

**Me: Okay! Bueno, esta fue Utsukushii!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright chap 13. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13: December 19

Ever since Zoe's aunt and uncle came along and gave her the news, she was thinking of a way to stop it. It took her almost the whole day, but finally came up with something. She needed help and knew exactly who to ask: Takuya. [ar you sure?]

Takuya was in his room. She lightly knocked on his door. "Yeah…" came a distant voice.

"It's me, Zoe! Let me in!" she whispered.

"Oh shit!" he said and started to clear the way.

"Hey! Can I come in?" she whispered again. She was growing impatient specially that Takuya was taking long.

"Uh…yeah! Sure" he said finally.

Zoe slowly opened the door. She saw the boy quickly picking up lots of junk from the floor and throwing the all in his closet.

"Wow. What a surprise…" she said sarcastically. She was looking at the mess he had, she was disappointed. She slowly closed the door.

"Okay, how can I help you?" he asked as he was struggling on closing his closet door.

"I'm not so sure that your parents will like this…" she started. "But I need you to come to my room tonight."

Takuya finally closed the door but started blushing. "_Where is he going with this?"_ he thought.

"And I need you to take my place," she said and waited for his reaction.

"Take your place? What? What do you mean?" he asked really [really] confused.

Zoe sighed and spoke. "Okay. Tonight I'm going to Mr. Parker's house to ask him to change the whole me living with my aunt thing," she explained.

"And how am I taking your place?" he asked [he's still confused!]

"Well, I was thinking…that you could probably sleep in my bed…" she said and looked away because she felt a slight blush coming on her face.

"Well, can't you just leave the door closed or something?" he asked.

"No. I mean, yeah I can, but it won't work," she said. "Your mom comes to check up on me every night. She doesn't go aup to the bed or anything, but she opens the door, looks, and closes it again."

"But don't you think she'll notice the difference between a longer body with a short, little one?" he said using his hands to show the difference.

"Are you going to help me or not?" she asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Alright, alright then. I'll do it. What time do you want me to go?" he asked.

"Um…maybe eleven-ish, sometime around that time," she said.

"Are you sure you'll find him?" asked Takuya sitting on the floor.

"No, of course I'm not sure. I called the office where he works a little earlier, but no one answered because they're on vacation, so I'll try his home. He and his family know me well, so I hope he won't mind my presence," she explained.

"How are you gonna get there?" he asked while rubbing his neck.

"Um…I'll take the bus…" she said.

"What? The bus? Why don't you drive there?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"Takuya," started Zoe. "I would _gladly_ go by car, but do you see a car around that I can actually use?"

"Oh, right…" he said sheepishly.

"Alright, so see you then. Thanks!" she said and hugged him.

"What am I getting myself into…" he said aloud when Zoe had already left.

_---------11 pm_

Takuya had left his room. He put his dirty clothing and pillows under his bed's covers to make it seem human just in case his mother decided to check on him.

He quietly walked to Zoe's room. He quickly opened the door and closed it. Zoe was already waiting for him wearing a coat, hat, gloves, and other warm stuff.

"Alright Takuya, thanks again," she greeted him.

"So what am I supposed to do?" he said. [………..]

"First of all, you have to whisper!" she whispered to him. "And now just lay there and turn towards the wall. I rarely face up while I'm asleep."

"Okay, and do you want me to snore or breath deeply?" he joked.

Zoe hit him in his arm. "Shut up! And quite frankly, I don't care, so there!"

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No and yes I am sure about this," she said confidently.

"Alright then," he said.

"Wish me luck!" she breathed and went out the window.

"Good luck…" he said and watched her go out.

"Well…" he said laying on the bed, "this will be interesting…"

He turned towards the wall, just like Zoe had instructed him.

_--------1 AM_

Takuya could not sleep. _"I hope she's alright,"_ he thought. He couldn't stop thinking about Zoe.

Right then the door opened. Takuya froze. He heard his mother wish Zoe a good sleep in a motherly manner.

"_Damn! Zoe was right…"_ he thought.

After a few moments, the door closed. He heard footsteps walking away from Zoe's room. Then another door closed.

Takuya let out a sigh of relief. With this, he finally fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

_--------3 AM_

Zoe was running down the street.

"I have to hurry…" she thought aloud. She was becoming hot under her heavy coat. Although it was winter, Zoe took her coat off.

"Almost there…" she said encouraging herself.

She finally reached the Kanbara home. In a matter of minutes she was climbing to her bedroom window. Fortunately, the gutters Zoe was using to climb had been recently installed and they were strong. After a bit of struggle, she finally reached her window.

She was very tired. First of all, she was never really used to staying up late. And second, she never really went out late.

Zoe sat on the small brick outer part of the window and slowly opened the window. Once it was opened, she threw her coat inside. Because her bed was right on the wall, she just jump in and began to sleep, not caring about the fact that she was wearing her casual clothing and her shoes.

* * *

**Phew! Done! So this was chapter 13…yeah, chapter 13. So I hope you liked it, so far, I've only gotten 5 responses to my poll about Zoe, check it out to see how it's going!**

**I really have to go, so…Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright! Here is chapter 14! I checked the poll about Zoe and I can't believe it! The results I mean! Check it out and if you have not voted please do so and comment if you wish, but please don't be mean! **

**Alright now on to the story!**

* * *

Chapter 14: December 20

_----------5 AM_

Zoe slowly stirred from her sleep. She felt very warm and comfortable. When she slowly opened her eyes, she was quickly awake at the sight. She was face to face with a sleeping Takuya.

".GOSH," she whispered. She looked around. Takuya was sleeping also very comfortably, and both were wrapped around each other. She had her arms around him and he had his arms around her.

She pushed Takuya away from her and put her covers over her chest as though she was naked.

Takuya woke up as he was being pushed. When he saw Zoe in bed he sat up.

"Whoa, shit bucket! When did you get here?!!" he said loudly and moved back against the wall.

"Shhh! Shut up!" said Zoe blushing. "I got here at about three am!"

"Well, why didn't you wake me up?!" he said loudly again.

"I said shut up!" she insisted again. "Well, if you have ever gone out at night and haven't returned till like 3 am, you would know you're a very tired person!"

"Shh! My mom might hear us!" whispered Takuya.

"Talking of which…GET OUT!" whispered Zoe loudly.

"Well, I was already leaving," pouted Takuya. "I don't want my mommy to see me." [mommy?]

"Whatever! Just get out!" ordered Zoe.

Takuya, while blushing, got off the bed. He slowly went towards the door and opened it just a crack. He checked to see if anyone was around. When he saw everything was alright, he slowly walked back to his room, closing Zoe's door.

Zoe was still in her bed with the sheets up to her chest. She was sort of terrified, surprised, and excited about what had happened.

"The things that happen to me…" lamented Zoe aloud. And then she went back to sleep.

_----------7 Am_

She woke up.

"Whoa, that was an awkward dream," she said remembering what she had thought was a dream.

But when she saw she was still wearing her casual clothing from the night before, she said, "Never mind…" and frowned.

Zoe then changed into her pajamas and went towards the bathroom. _"Just incase someone sees me…"_ she thought. [smart!]

Right then, Mrs. Kanbara was in the hallway. "Good morning Zoe! How did you sleep?" she asked.

Zoe flinched a little, but managed to speak. "Oh, alright I guess…" she said. [of course it was alright….]

"Are you going to the bathroom?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

"Uh, yeah! I'm going to take a shower. You know what they say about the early bird and it being early or something, right?" said Zoe chuckling a little. She quickly entered the bathroom.

"Wow, she's becoming more and more like Takuya, speaking of which, I should go wake him up," said Mrs. Kanbara and turned towards her sons room. [still having your mom as an alarm clock I see….-_-]

A few moments later Zoe emerged from the bathroom all dressed. Waiting outside was Takuya.

"Ah! You scared me!" she said and started blushing as she remembered the night before.

"Hey! I had a weird dream…" he started as he was trying to remember all the parts.

"Takuya, that was no dream…" she said and started walking towards her room.

Takuya started blushing, but had question to ask. "Oh…um…so how did it go?"

"I'll tell you later…" she said as she turned around and looked past Takuya.

Takuya turned around and saw his mother in the steps. "Breakfast is ready" she announced.

_----------In the afternoon_

"Ooh! Takuya and I would go grocery shopping for you!" offered Zoe.

"Wow, thanks! Here's the list," she said handing the list to Zoe.

"Wait. What?" asked Takuya holding a juice box.

"Come one let's go!" said Zoe and grabbed his arm. She was walking quickly towards the door.

Mrs. Kanbara had announced she needed some groceries, so Zoe thought, "Good chance to meet up with Mr. Parker!" So she volunteered for her and Takuya to go.

"Okay. First we'll go grocery shopping to get that over with then we'll go to Mr. Parker's office," said Zoe.

"Whoa! Why are we going to see him? Didn't you see him last night?" asked Takuya making a right on some street.

"Oh, I couldn't find him in his home. I kind of chickened-out, especially considering the time it was. I thought he would be offended," she said sadly.

"What did you take as transportation?" he asked.

"I mostly walked, but at times I took the bus," she said.

"….Um, so did anything happen?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Zoe incredulously.

"You know…like some pervert or something that wanted to harm you or whatever," he asked as he parked the car.

"Oh no. Just a couple of rude stared from random guys," she said.

"You should be more careful," said Takuya.

"Takuya, I can take care of myself. I'll show you sooner or later," she challenged. "But now, let's go get the groceries."

So the two quickly entered the grocery store and shopped for what Mrs. Kanbara had asked for.

Once they returned to the car Takuya asked her where they were to go.

But Zoe hesitated a little. "Hey Takuya, I'm sorry. I'm such a bother…I really think we shouldn't do this. W-we should just go home."

"No Zoe, don't worry," said Takuya in a reassuring voice. "I want to do this for you, I want you to stay."

Then when he realized what he had said he continued speaking, "W-we all want you t-to stay, here, with u-us…" He was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks…" said Zoe putting her hand on his shoulder.

"So, tell me where to go," he said as he was looking on the road.

"Make a right here…" said Zoe giving Takuya the directions.

* * *

**Okay, boring chapter. I know…But whatever. I just wanted to get a chapter done for you guys! So now I'll just be working on Chapter 15…yeah!**

**Takuya: Hey! I'm back!**

**Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Takuya: Don't you just love me?!**

**Me: No. I don't understand why Zoe does?!**

**Zoe: Hey! I don't love him…I like him, just like the others…*pouts***

**Me: Right…-_-**

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	15. Chapter 15

**So….here is chapter 15! Wow, I can't believe it's been fifteen chapters so far! Time for a song!**

**Cuz when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you gotta believe theeeeeeeeem!**

**Takuya: Eeeeeeewwwwww! That was horrible singing!**

**Me: Shut up! It's the fifteen chapter and there's actually a song with the number fifteen so I have to celebrate so don't put me down!**

**Takuya: It still was horrible….**

**Me: Do you want to die?**

**Takuya:…no…**

**Me: Okay that's what I thought. **

* * *

Chapter 15: December 20 continued

They arrived at the office of Mr. Parker. His office was on a big building more than 30 stories high. His office was on the 20th floor.

"So, do you want me to come?" asked Takuya.

"No it's okay, thanks…" she said and got out of the car. Zoe went inside the building. Because her father had also worked there, she had a special family pass because she was family of one of the lawyers. Immediately she went to the 20th floor.

"_Gotta go to number 513_," she thought as she tried to locate the office of Mr. Parker.

Once she was in front of the door, she tried to go in. It was locked.

Zoe knocked a couple of times. "Oh, no…please…" she said aloud. "Come one…" She continued knocking.

Then the door opened.

"Oh, Zoe hi!" greeted an old woman. She had white hair and wore a very conservative business suit.

"Hi Mrs. Caspian!" greeted Zoe back. "Do you know if Mr. Parker is in office?"

"Oh, no sweetie, I'm sorry…"apologized Mrs. Caspian. "But his on vocation. Actually the whole office is closed until the 4th of January, do you need something?"

The sound of Mrs. Caspian's words were like daggers going through Zoe's chests. No Mr. Parker. No staying in Japan.

It took a while for Zoe to take in Mrs. Caspian's words, but finally she answered. "Oh…um…no, it's okay..." she answered.

As she was about to leave an idea popped into her mind. "Hey, do you know if he's at his house?" Zoe asked.

"Hmm…I'm not so sure, sorry…" said Mrs. Caspian thinking critically.

"Oh, thank you, though…" said Zoe looking down. "I should go, I have a ride and I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Oh, who?" asked Mrs. Caspian. "Your parents…" she added innocently.

"Um, no, um my friend Takuya, I'm living with his family now…" she said. "_She probably doesn't know about my parents…_" she thought.

"Is he your boyfriend!" asked Mrs. Caspian with a smile. [she obviously had just said friend…man, people these days…]

"Um, no! H-he's just a friend…" said Zoe blushing a little. "Um, since my parents died, they took me in.."

"Oh, Zoe I'm so sorry! I completely forgot. I'm sorry," apologized Mrs. Caspian again.

"Uh, it's o-okay…"said Zoe. After an awkward silent moment, Zoe spoke again. "I should go, thank you."

"You're welcome honey! Se you later!" waived Mrs. Caspian.

Zoe waived back. "_I'm not so sure you will,"_ she thought as she stood in front of the elevator. Finally, the elevator came. [stupid elevators!]

AS she got in she decided to call Takuya. "Hey, Takuya," she said.

"Hey! What's up?" he asked recognizing the sad voice.

"I had no luck," she said.

"I'm sorry…what do you think we should do?" he asked. He had now started the car.

"Um…I hope it's not much to ask, but do you think you could take me to Mr. Parker's house?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah! Definitely…" he said. "Don't worry Zoe, we'll find a way…"

"Thanks…see you in a bit…" she said sadly.

"Aight!" he said and both hung up.

After realizing what Takuya had said, Zoe started to smile. "Since when has he talked like that?" she asked herself.

After a few moments later, Zoe walked out of the building to meet Takuya waiting almost in front. As she sat down, Zoe let out a sigh.

"No luck?" he said. [nah!]

Zoe only shook her head.

"So….where do I go?" he asked in a cheery tone trying to make things better.

"Go to the highway and take exit 17," she said and sighed again.

"Aight!" Takuya repeated.

Zoe smiled again. "Since when have you talked like that?" she asked.

"Oh…when I have to..." he said. "Are you smiling?"

"…Maybe," she answered quietly, understanding exactly why he was doing that. "Thanks…" she added.

"No, Zoe, please don't thank me, really."

"Why?" she asked incredulously. "I was told to always say thank you in situations like this and others."

"Because…for starters, it's getting a little annoying," he said.

Zoe glared at him.

"And secondly, I don't need it. I know how you are, Zoe, and you're a grateful person…" he said.

Out of habit, Zoe was opening her mouth to repeat her famous phrase.

"Ah! No!" said Takuya sharply.

She quickly closed her mouth.

"Thank you," he said and smiled.

Zoe glared at him again.

_------------At Mr. Parker's House_

"Whoa!" exasperated Takuya. "He's got a BIG house!" Takuya was gawking at the house.

"I know, I've been in there already and it's HUMONGOUS!" said Zoe using her hands to show how huge the house is.

This time, when Zoe got out of the car, Takuya accompanied her.

Zoe reached fro the door and knocked.

No answer.

She waited a few moments and knocked again.

No answer.

Again, Zoe waited a few moments and knocked.

No answer.

"Come on, open…." she said aloud.

She tried again. Takuya just watched.

Just then the door opened. It was a middle aged woman.

"Yes? How can I help you?" she asked.

"This is Mr. Parker's house, right?" asked Zoe.

"Yes," answered the woman.

"Um…Is he here?" asked Zoe.

"Oh, I'm sorry, he went away for vacation with his family. He won't return until January 2nd," said the lady casually.

Zoe remained silent. Suddenly she spoke. "Thank you, sorry to bother you…" she said gloomily.

"It's okay, have a nice day," said the lady and closed the door.

Zoe stood silently for a moment. Tears began rolling down her face.

"Why does everything go wrong in my life," she said darkly and sank to the ground. Takuya embraced her.

"Why? What have I done to deserve such a horrible life?" she cried.

"No Zoe, you don't have a horrible life," said Takuya rubbing his hand on her arm.

"What are you talking about?" she asked choking on her words. "For a very long time I was hated by every one earlier in my childhood, my parents die, and now I move away to where it's miracle they even know my name! That's a horrible life!" She was crying into Takuya's chest.

"No Zoe. Look at the good things you have in life…" he said looking into her eyes. He had taken her face into his hands. [he does that a lot…okay….yeah….]

"So yeah, you might go away, but the love you have here from the people you know in Japan will never die," he continued. "Come on, let's go home before it get's too late…" He grabbed Zoe by the hand.

He opened the passenger seat and waited until she sat down. He closed the door and went to the driver seat and drove back home.

* * *

**Stupid Mr. Parker, why are you on vacation! I wish I was on vacation….So yeah, like most of the past chapters, I have some time to do this and yeah, if it's getting a little boring, I'm sorry, but I promise you it will get better! So yeah….**

**When you're fifteen and somebody—**

**DF gang: SHUT UP!**

**Me: hey…. :(**

**Well, since they're telling me to shut up…esta fue utsukushii!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Like always…got time, got rid of sisters for a while, blah, blah, blah, quizzes and what not, blah, blah, blah ….Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16: December 24

Okay, I'm going to Italy. Why I'm saying that? Well, I've tried to do everything that I can to prevent it and nothing has worked out. I couldn't stop it. I'm leaving….But I don't want to leave! The assholes I'm going with are annoying. The nickname "assholes" has stuck ever since Takuya called my aunt and uncle that last week. And not just that, but Christmas is coming. Why it is bad? Well, I used to always spend my favorite holiday with my parents…and memories come to me…

_-------Flashback_

"_Daddy!" said the little girl running towards her father. He picked her up._

"_Whoa there Zoe!" huffed her father. "You're a big girl now; you can't be carried any more!" _

_He put her back down._

"_Aw! But Daddy!" pouted the little Zoe. She crossed her arms._

"_No Zoe, you're a big girl now," he said as he smiled._

_Her father's smile made Zoe's pout go away. As she looked around curiously her eyes were glued to the Christmas tree. But more specifically, the boxes under them._

"_Look Daddy!" she pointed towards the tree. "Look at all the presents we have!"_

_The little girl grabbed a colorful purple box. All over the box, it was covered by a glittery paper that was decorated with snowflakes. Under the tree it was accompanied by other very colorful boxes. A mixture of snowmen, santas, reindeer, and other Christmas symbols were proudly decorating the perimeter of the boxes._

"_This one is for me!" said Zoe as she hugged the purple box close to her. _

_Mr. Orimoto smiled at his daughter's innocence._

_She carefully put the present back to its place._

"_Come on! Let's go see mommy," said the little girl, grabbing her father's hand. "She's in the kitchen."_

_She gladly guided her father to the familiar kitchen._

_-------End flashback_

How can I overcome this? I know they say that time heals. But time isn't going kick enough to make me heal dang it! I mean, it's not that I totally hate Italy, because I don't. Half of my life comes from there. But it's just that, well, my family there are horrible! I remember we spent a Christmas there…

_--------Flashback (again!)_

"_Look Zoe!" pointed her mother._

"_Wow! Is this our house?" asked Zoe._

"_Yeah, this is where our family lives," explained her mother._

"_They _all_ live in the house?" asked the little girl innocently._

_Mrs. Orimoto laughed. "No! They just live here in Italy."_

"_Oh!" nodded Zoe._

_As they were driving up the very long driveway, almost a road, there was a magnificent house at the end of the road. The house was white and made of brick stones. Pillars were holding up the roof of the entrance porch. The house had three floors, but was much bigger on the inside than it already seemed on the outside._

"_So…." Began Zoe, "Will I be getting this house when I'm older?"_

"_Yes," answered her mother. "This will all be yours, but only when you're older!"_

"_Yay! I can't wait till I'm older!" cheered the little girl._

_Then the two ladies got out of the car. Zoe ran right to where the stairs were and climbed them. She couldn't wait to see her father after a whole two hours of not seeing him. _

_As she was already at the top of the stairs the door opened. Out came a young woman._

"_Welcome" greeted the young lady._

"_Mommy!" cried the little girl and ran back to her mother, descending all the steps she happily had ascended. She hid behind her mother's legs._

_Mrs. Orimoto, however climbed the steps, with Zoe close behind. Mrs. Orimoto greeted the young woman._

"_Hello Rita! It's nice to see you again," she said casually. "It's okay Zoe, she's part of our family."_

_Zoe only nodded._

"_Hello signora," replied Rita. "Please come in."_

_That night was Christmas Eve. The Orimoto family was preparing for their dinner, which they always shared as a family._

"_Mommy?" asked Zoe._

_Mrs. Orimoto nodded._

"_Are my other aunts and uncles coming? I haven't met them yet and I really want to see them," asked the little girl._

"_I don't know," answered her mother quietly._

_A few moments later, another servant came to the family. _

"_Signora, your sister and her husband have come to visit," she announced._

"_Your sister?" asked Mr. Orimoto in disbelief._

_They both exchanged glances. Mrs. Orimoto quickly and nervously got up and left for the living room where her sister and husband were waiting. Mr. Orimoto slowly followed._

_Zoe was left alone in the dinning room. _

"_Mommy's sister?" she asked herself aloud. "I have to go see her!"_

"_Sister, what are you doing here?" asked Mrs. Orimoto as she hugged her sister._

"_Oh Annabella! It's so nice to see you!" she greeted._

_Once they broke their embrace, Mr. Orimoto had already entered the room._

"_Oh. It's you…" said Annabella's sister haughtily._

_Mr. Orimoto just looked at the couple. The woman was slender and short, just like his wife. Both Annabella and her sister shared vey similar traits, like their golden hair. The only difference was that the sister was a supercilious woman. Where his wife, was more cheerful and welcoming. The man that was accompanying Annabella's sister was another blond. He was tall, but had a better build. He, like his wife, had a high society outlook on life. Both looked down at Mr. Orimoto_

_Then came Zoe._

"_Mommy, is this your sister?" asked the girl._

"_Yes, honey. This is your Aunt Antonella and your uncle Tomas," announced Mrs. Orimoto."Antonella, this is our daughter Zoe."_

_Antonella looked at Zoe very closely. Zoe smiled at her aunt._

"_Oh look! She has our hair!" pointed out Antonella. Then her expression turned slightly grim. "But her eyes…" she continued. "…They're just like his."_

_Mr. Orimoto's eyes were the same color and shape as Zoe's. Her beautiful emerald colored eyes were only from the Orimoto family._

"_Well, I guess I must go," suddenly announced Antonella._

"_Oh…Why are you leaving so soon, you just got here," said Mrs. Orimoto looking at her watch._

"_Oh, you know, we have some other gatherings to go to. And those are your gifts to you," said Antonella pointed to some wrapped gifts that were added to the collection of gifts under the tree._

"_Oh…thank you…" said Annabella meekly. But just before she could formally wish her sister a Merry Christmas, both Antonella and her husband had already disappeared. _

_The whole family inside heard an engine turn on and the sound of wheels on the gravel._

_Mrs. Orimot0 looked at her husband._

"_Mommy?" asked Zoe._

"_Yes," responded her mother._

"_Why is she so mean?" finally asked the girl._

_Mrs. Orimoto remained quiet._

_---------End of Flashback [whoa, finally….tired over here…okay back to the story….]_

Later on while I was growing up I came to understand why my family was like that. The answer? It's actually quite simple, sort of cliché in a way, but simple: They hated the fact that my mom did not marry one of "Their kind" or a rich Italian, or just an Italian. Likewise, my dad's side of the family didn't like the idea of him marrying a non-Japanese woman. So maybe now, my aunt and uncle just want to straighten things out while they can and take me to the "Italian side" or whatever. I just wished I had my "Anakin" to come save the day…

* * *

**Okay…so the ending was slightly awkward, but you get it right? Well, so this chapter just gave some back ground on how Zoe's family was when she was little. I still hat Aunt Antonella and Uncle Tomas, even though he barely speaks….**

**But yeah… esta fue—**

**Takuya: Hey there!**

**Me: Look, I'm trying to type here, so leave!**

**Zoe: Yeah Takuya leave!**

**Me: Where did you come from?**

**Zoe: Oh, just fro moral support.**

**Me: Oh, okay, go! *points another direction [just like I do with my sisters….]***

**Takuya:….*leaves***

**Me: Wow, no hesitation or annoyment…interesting….**

**Zoe: yeah…wow!**

**Me: You too, leave! **

**Zoe: Whatever…Wait for me Takuya! *leaves***

**Me: Oh well, Esta Fue Utsukushii!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yay Chapter 17! Enough said and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 17: December 25

Zoe was woken up by a sudden knock on the door. She groggily got up and looked at a nearby clock. It was 6: 27 am.

"_Seriously…"_ she thought.

"Hey Zoe! Can we come in?" It was Takuya.

"Sure…" she said and in came both Takuya and Shinya.

She sat up on her bed and glared at them. "What do you guys want?" she asked. "You guys never wake up this early. Never."

Takuya and Shinya exchanged glances and started laughing. "I can't believe she forgot…" said one brother.

"Right. How can anyone forget…" said the other one.

Zoe gave a confused expression.

"Zoe! It's Christmas! _Christmas_!" said Takuya emphasizing the last part.

"Yeah, let's go open presents!" added Shinya.

It finally became clear to Zoe. "_How could I have forgotten?"_ she asked mentally slapping herself.

"Right, so Shinya, go get mom and dad and meet us downstairs," said Takuya and both boys came out of the room. But then Takuya peeked back in and asked, "Why aren't you coming?"

"Um, oh, right, ha!" said Zoe and got up slowly.

Seeing how slow Zoe was moving, Takuya went to her, grabbed her hand and started running with her to the living room, where their tree was located.

Once the two adults were there, Takuya announced, "Alrighty! Look at all those presents! Let's get started! Woo!" [excited much…]

"Stop talking and start opening them man!" said Shinya and faced the tree.

"First we have to get them passed out!" retorted Takuya.

As the two boys were looking at the presents to see which belonged to which, Zoe quietly watched from the couch.

"Okay mom, these one is for you…" said Shinya passing his mother a few boxes.

"Wow!" she said happily and took them into her arms.

Then Takuya passed a few more to his father.

"Oh…why are they so small?" he asked looking at the small boxes he held in his hands.

Everyone began to laugh at Mr. Kanbara's childishness.

After a while, Zoe was lost in her thoughts. She was so into her thoughts that she did not realize Takuya was calling her name.

"Zoe! Zoe! Hey! You! Hey?!" he said until Zoe finally snapped back into reality and looked at him slightly puzzled.

"Oh sorry…what?" she shot back looking at Takuya's annoyed face.

"Well…it sounds like somebody doesn't want her presents," said Takuya hiding the presents behind his back.

"Wait. What?" she said surprised. "Presents? For me?" she looked around at the whole family.

"Duh!" said Takuya and handed her the presents.

"Okay! Let's go crazy and open these babies!" cheered Takuya and like an animal, tore the boxes apart. He was followed by his brother. [oh geez…]

"Boys, don't make such a mess," ordered their mother.

The boys didn't pay attention.

"Aahh…" drooled Takuya. "Look! Look at this!" he said. "…M-M-Madden 2010! Aahh…"

Shinya was equally drooling. "Hey…can we share. I kinda got socks…again," said Shinya and he glanced at his mother.

His mother quickly looked the other way.

As Shinya opened his other presents he took back his words. "Oh, never mind! I got the new DSi!" he again was drooling.

"Hey let me look!" said Takuya reaching for his brother's new toy.

"No!" said Shinya and reached his arm out the other way.

"What did you get, Zoe?" asked Mrs. Kanbara.

Zoe was only looking at the presents she had received. Although there were only three presents, she still had not opened them.

"Uh…I don't know…" she said still looking at her presents. "…I can't accept them though. It's enough of a present what you're all doing." Zoe was shaking her head.

"No, nonsense!" said Mrs. Kanbara. "Open them…"

"Yeah! Open them Zoe!" said both Takuya and Shinya. They were tangled with each other for they had been fighting to see each other's gifts. [oh geez…again…-_-] "Open them! Open them!" they chanted.

"…Alright…" she said hesitating, but giving in.

Zoe slowly opened the first box. It was the biggest of the three. It was a tote bag with the word "Japan" all over it, written in well, Japanese.

"Thank you!" said Zoe happily, but was sort of confused because she was in Japan.

"You're welcome!" said Mr. Kanbara. "You know, because you're going to Italy and all, I thought it would be nice for you to have something to, well, remember…" he said timidly.

"…yeah…" she said quietly and opened the next one. It revealed a make up kit thingy. [make up sometimes makes my face itch…maybe you didn't really care about that…yeah…]

"Oh thank you!" said Zoe as she looked at all the pretty colors it contained. [pretty colors…]

"You're welcome!" said Mrs. Kanbara. "You're becoming a beautiful young lady, so you need, well, you know, your own beauty stuff! And plus, when we we're unpacking your stuff when you came, I didn't really see anything like that with you, so I hope it's okay…"

"Oh, it's totally fine! I love the colors!" said Zoe shyly. "I usually wear make up only in special occasions, so this will really help."

"I bet it will…" muttered Takuya looking away.

Although Takuya was looking away, he felt the daggers Zoe was glaring at him.

Zoe was down to her last gift. She slowly opened it. Once it was completely uncovered, Zoe couldn't believe what she was seeing. She lifted her head and looked at Takuya. It was the purple butterfly pendant with the chain she had seen when she went shopping with Takuya.

"Takuya…" she said in disbelief. The rest of the family looked at each other incredulously.

"What?" he said as a enchanting smirk was planted on his face. "I had to. Do you really think I would not get you something that you really wanted?"

She was speechless.

* * *

**Okay, so this chapter was originally one, but it would be too long so it's becoming two. Again I'm sort of lazy…and it's very long…at typing can become very boring…especially when you can't talk…**

**So stay tuned for the rest of this chapter! Sorry if it brings back memories of break or anything, I'm suffering too!**

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay! So here is the second part of um chapter before this one. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 18: December 25 continued

_-------Later that night_

As a Kanbara tradition, the family usually got together and had a very special dinner that night. It wasn't the usual family meal, it was far more special and family oriented than many others, for the Kanbara family was a very united family. They would dress nicely and talk about whatever.

Zoe was getting ready herself. She was looking at the two necklaces Takuya had given her for Christmas. She was reminiscing what Takuya had told her that afternoon.

_--------Flashback!_

"_So…why exactly did you get me two things?" Zoe asked in amazement._

_She had gone inside Takuya's room with Shinya to try out the new Madden game. Shinya was taking his turn, so he was not exactly paying attention to what was going on around him._

"_Because, I saw how you looked at the other butterfly thing and how you wanted it," he said. "Do you really think I don't know you by now?" He sat up on his bed._

"_You seriously saw that?" she asked as she was spinning on the computer chair. Her legs were crossed on the chair and she spun herself by pushing to one side with her arm._

"_Yep I did!" he said. "I don't know if you didn't notice, but I was watching you as you were looking at the whole jewelry things."_

"_Stalker…But how did you buy it when I was there? I clearly saw you when you bought the heart necklace, though," she said confused._

"_Well, I got my ways…" he said and smirked._

"_Tell me!" she demanded._

"_Alright, god, okay," he gave in. "When I told you I would go to the bathroom I instead went to another cash register and paid for it there and put it in another bag. And if you're wondering how I got one of the butterfly ones, I simply took one of the millions of the ones that were there…"_

"_Oh, well, I just didn't want you to spend so much on me…" she said blushing a little._

"_Pwned ya' man! Who's the man?! Oh shot!" cried Shinya as he was too much into the game._

"_I figured you didn't want that…" said Takuya._

"_So tonight I think you know how we Kanbaras celebrate right?" asked Takuya changing the subject._

_Zoe nodded._

"_Well, I want you to wear both the necklaces…" he said_

_Zoe stopped spinning. "And what if I don't?" she asked jokingly._

"_Oh, I think you will," he said and laid back on his bed._

_---------End Flashback!_

It was now 6:58 PM. Zoe looked at both necklaces intently.

"You always find a way to surprise me…" said Zoe. She smiled and later realized she was becoming warm.

Just them the door knocked. "Come in!" she said.

It was Takuya. "My mom said that the food is…ready," he said the last part of his phrase slowly. He gulped. He was checking Zoe out. [dudes….-_-]

"Oh, that's good, I was starving," she said and turned around.

Takuya tried to not look at Zoe, but it was very hard for him.

"Oh…yeah, um, me …too," he said quietly, trying to look only at her face. Zoe was just starring at him.

She was wearing a shirt tunic that reached her mid-thighs. It had a band that separated the shirt, as the top was hugging her chest and waist, and the rest was flowing. It was pink in color. She was also wearing blue skinny jeans with high heeled boots that reached all the way to right under the knee. The jeans were tucked inside the boots.

He then looked at her hands. "Hey! The necklaces," he pointed out as he snapped back into reality.

"Oh, yeah…" she said and blushed again.

"Let me help you put them on!" offered Takuya. [oh, how sweet…what did you do?]

"O-okay…" she said and blushed even redder. [like a tomato?...don't ask…please] She handed him the heart necklace.

Like always, Takuya acted instead of thinking and realized what he was doing. Because he was not facing Zoe, he was thankful he couldn't see his blush that was appearing on his face. Zoe then handed him the butterfly necklace.

"Alright, they're both on, let's go eat," he said quickly and started to walk out the door. Zoe followed.

Mrs. Orimoto was preparing the table and saw Zoe. "Oh, look at you, you look so wonderful!" said Mrs. Kanbara putting her hands to her cheeks.

"…uh, thank you…" said Zoe and lowered her gaze.

"Oh, look whose under the mistletoe!" yelled Shinya and smirked.

Zoe looked up. It was her and Takuya, for Takuya was standing right next to her.

Both Zoe and Takuya were now blushing lots more red than before. [imagine a tomato covered in red paint covered in more red paint….]

"Shinya! Stop it! Idiot!" yelled Takuya and chased after the younger boy. [I feel kind of bad for Shinya…]

The whole night was full of joy and happiness. The whole family spoke and laughed as they ate their delicious meal.

Zoe took all of this to heart. Tomorrow would be her last day with them…her last day with Takuya.

* * *

**Yay! I'm done with Christmas! Alright, so right now I'm actually writing a paper fir my English class, but am slacking off…so yeah!**

**I hope you everyone R&Rs. **

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Short chapter, brace yourself. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 19: December 26

"Zoe!" yelled Kelsi. She went to give Zoe a big hug. Zoe hugged her back.

"I can't believe you're leaving, I don't want you to leave!" cried Kelsi.

"Neither do I," replied Zoe. "We're just hanging out today…in the mall…"

"I know!" replied Kelsi. "But let's be rebels!" Kelsi smirked.

"Oh gosh I'll miss that!" cried Zoe and hugged Kelsi again.

That day, Zoe, Kelsi, Takuya, Koji, Kouichi, and Tommy decided to spend the day together before Zoe left the next day. They pretty much would do whatever.

"So what do you guys want to do?" asked Kouichi.

"Hey! Why don't we just walk around town!" said Zoe excitedly.

"Yeah!" agreed Takuya. "Since you've lived here for a long time, you should see the whole thing…before you leave…" Takuya looked a different direction.

So that's exactly what they did. From the mall, they visited the nearby parks that they had spent much of their childhood. They also went to restaurants where they were regularly kicked out because of loud and obnoxious behavior. [everyone, don't look at Takuya…okay whatever, look at Takuya!]

They also went to schools they had attended over the years. And even some of the amusement parks they were excited of going into. At last they went passed Shibuya Train Station.

Zoe couldn't hold her tears anymore. "I don't want to leave!" she literally cried.

Kelsi followed. She went to Zoe and hugged her.

"I don't want you to leave either!" she said.

"Will you come back to visit though?" asked Tommy as he was walking closer to the girls.

"I hope so…" said Zoe between sobs. "…but my aunt and uncle don't seem like the type that would let me come back and visit."

"Why is that?" asked Koji.

The rest of the teens had not been told the story about Zoe's family.

"Takuya, tell them what we established," said Zoe wiping her face.

"What we esta-oh!" he said. "Right." Takuya cleared his throat. "Well, because _both_ Zoe and I said this, and emphasis on _Zoe said this_…we established they are assholes! Oh, did I mention Zoe said this?"

The rest of the teens nodded, but later froze after they had processed what Takuya had said.

"Whoa! Zoe cursing!" said Kouichi

"What?!" said Zoe. "I was mad!"

The rest of the group laughed.

"No, but what is the true reason?" asked Tommy calming down a little, for he was till chuckling slightly.

"Well, you see, my aunt and uncle are very…nationalistic," started Zoe. "And I'm using that term sorta loosely. What I mean by that is that, they are all Italian. I don't think they like the fact that I'm half Japanese, so they want me where I should be, supposedly."

"Oh, but will you rebel against them?" asked Kelsi with a smirk on her face.

"Of course I will, you know how I am!" said Zoe also smirking.

"Right, you are persistent and confident…" said Kelsi as if reciting a memorized line.

There was a small pause.

Then Takuya spoke. "So…" he began, "…are you going to say it again?"

"Who me?" asked Zoe, pointing to herself.

Takuya nodded.

"Say what?" she asked. [what else? Duh!]

"…asshole…" he said with pleasure.

"NO!" she yelled.

"Oh, come on, we want to hear you!" complained Kouichi.

"Yeah!" followed Tommy.

"I only said that because I was mad!" retorted Zoe trying to justify her actions.

"Oh, come on Takuya make Zoe mad! Make her mad!" suggested Koji.

"Wow, you're actually showing emotions today?" joked Kouichi.

"What?" asked Koji. "Something like that doesn't happen every day!"

As Koji was finishing his sentence everyone was laughing.

"_This is the end…"_ thought Zoe.

* * *

**Alright, it was boring, admit it. That's why I told you to brace yourselves! You don't even have to post a review or anything….but yeah, but I do promise you that the next chapter will be a little more…exciting. I guess you could notice I had nothing else to write. I just wanted to show how her friends were feeling and all. **

**And I also know the whole thing about Zoe not cursing is awkward and most teens do curse and all, but I know people who don't curse, including myself…and I still have friends! But whatever…**

**Because this was so boring, I'll make it up with the other chapter: two updates in one day…again! Now to the next! [Esta fue Utsukushii!]**


	20. Chapter 20

**So here is the next chapter! Because the previous one was slightly…um…you know…, I hope this makes it up. If it doesn't…um, sorry…. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20: December 27

The bags were carefully placed in the trunk of the car.

All her friends had gathered at the Kanbara residence to say good bye.

"So Zoe, well go to your house here in Japan, and then we'll leave for Italy!" exclaimed Aunt Antonella.

Zoe only nodded and turned to face her friends. Kelsi was the first to hug her.

"Zoe please take care, we'll really miss you," said Kelsi quietly as she tried to hold back tears.

"I'll miss you too, and take care," responded Zoe as tears were slowly falling down her face.

"Take care, and don't be such a misanthrope," said Zoe to Koji as he was next to Kelsi. She hugged him. "And take care of Kelsi for me. Make sure she doesn't get drunk on water," she added. [its possible…]

"Don't worry I will," replied Koji.

Next was Kouichi.

"Aw, man! Take care, and make sure to not read too much," she said and gave him a hug.

"Yeah, sure," replied Kouichi. "And you make sure to not study too much."

"Yeah, right!" answered Zoe.

Then was Tommy.

"Tommy!" she squealed. "Grow up to be a great guy, okay?"

She motherly hugged the younger boy.

"Okay! And you grow up to be, well, the same girl we all know…" answered Tommy.

Zoe nodded.

Suddenly JP came into the house.

"Whoa! Did I make it?" he asked out of breath. He looked around the room.

"Yeah! Come here!" she said with open arms.

"Oh Zoe why do you have to go?" he asked.

"The guys will explain," she answered. "But take care in college, okay?"

JP nodded.

Zoe then turned to Takuya.

"Come one Zoe! We have to go!" said Auntie [Aunt Antonella, just FYI, speaking of which…shut up you shriveled –up woman!]

Zoe ignored her aunt. [good job!]

"Um…Takuya…" she began nervously.

"Zoe…I can't…I don't…" said Takuya as he struggled to get his words out.

Zoe was starting to cry again , but much more than before.

The two simply hugged.

"I can't let you go…" he said into her hair.

"I don't want to leave you…" she replied. "I…I…"

Takuya put his hands on her cheeks.

"I 'm not so sure what you where going to say, but if I think it was what I was thinking then I should say it too…" he whispered.

Zoe became confused.

"I don't want to struggle with this but…damn it's so hard," he started while still whispering.

Zoe remained quiet.

"I…uh,…I love you…" he said. [O.O]

Zoe's eyes grew wide and she was speechless.

"…Umm, and…you?" he asked humbly. [desperate much?]

Zoe's answer was simple and direct.

She kissed him very passionately. He returned the kiss with the same intensity.

Their friends were shocked, but only for a moment. They knew Takuya and Zoe had a special "connection" ever since they met. Although each had gone out with other people, it was never the same type of "connection". The youngsters could not help but smile at the sight.

The couple remained lip-locked for a while until Zoe's aunt suddenly pulled Zoe by the arm. Auntie's face was grim. [you little….blah!]

"Let's go Zoe," said Auntie harshly. "Let's not waste time." [you're a waste of space and life! There!]

Takuya had just been parted away from his love.

Zoe thanked and hugged Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara one last time and went through the door.

She mouthed "Bye," to everyone that remained in the room. She was crying so much she could not speak. She then looked at Takuya. Their eyes spoke louder than any words could ever do. They declared their love for each other one last time through them.

Zoe was gone.

Takuya couldn't stand the thought, so he quickly ran upstairs.

"Takuya!" yelled his mother.

No answer.

* * *

**Stupid little nosy little….whatever! Seriously her aunt is getting on my nerves! I hat-dislike her! O whatever I hate her!**

**So um, was it better than the last chapter? [say yes!] But yeah. I hope you enjoyed!**

**Esta Fue Utsukushii!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Never in the history of never while I've been here has this been done…okay like a month but don't judge me dang it!. Three updates in one day! But okay, let's continue with out lives….**

**Finally! I can upload! So here is the rest! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21: December 27 continued

"Alright Zoe, I hope I never see such type of behavior again," said Auntie.

Zoe had been looking out her window and when Auntie shot her the question she was irritated.

"What are you talking about?" asked Zoe in an irritated tone.

"I knew _he_ was the reason why you were there," said Auntie. "That boy you deliberately kissed. It's improper!" [shut up! You're even irritating me!]

Zoe returned to look out the window. "_Why is she telling me what's proper or not…assholes…"_ thought Zoe but smiled at the insult.

Then Auntie spoke again. "To start you're new life, we'll start with something simple," she said.

Zoe was puzzled.

"Give me your cell phone," demanded Auntie.

"What?!" responded Zoe knowing exactly where Auntie was going.

"Give me your cell phone, you'll have a new one," she said. Her voice was nowhere close to kind.

"But I have all of my friends' number in this one," said Zoe taking her own cell phone out of her pocket.

"Exactly," said Auntie and snatched Zoe's phone from her hand. Auntie handed Zoe the new one.

Zoe looked at the new phone intently. Although this new one was much more modern, cooler looking and easier to use in every way imaginable, Zoe despised it.

"I don't want it," said Zoe childishly.

"Well, your going to have to take it," said Auntie in an assertive voice. "Tomorrow you must wake up at 7 am to eat breakfast, bathe, and prepare for our departure to Italy. We'll leave at three."

Zoe sighed. "_This is going to be like hell…" _

_-------At Zoe's house_

And Auntie continued her speech. "So you will attend an all girls high school. Fortunately they're letting you in because of me…and because of your grades I guess…at least you're smart." [shut up!]

"I suppose making me go to an all-girls school is a punishment?" asked Zoe.

"Yes, actually it is. I need to get you away from boys like that thing you were living with," said Auntie haughtily.

Zoe glared at her, but smirked. "Well, it won't be a punishment," she said.

Auntie was confused.

"I don't know if you didn't notice while you were making all the transfer papers and all," explained Zoe, "but, I already go to an all-girls' school." [hey! Me too!]

Auntie remained quiet for a few moments.

After a while however Auntie continued. "Like I was saying, after high school you will attend the most prestigious university in Italy. You may study whatever you like."

"You even chose a college for me?!" retorted Zoe.

"Yes," answered Auntie. "We have contacts with the university, so even if you for some whatever reason can't get in, we'll speak for you then."

"Anything else I need to know?" asked Zoe . She was not hiding her sassiness one bit.

"Yes a couple," replied Auntie with a haughtily air to it. "First of all, you will not speak to me in such a tone of voice."

Auntie paused. Zoe's face made a grimace.

"And secondly," she continued, "you will also have fun with our daughter!" [mood swings much?]

"You have a daughter?" asked Zoe incredulously.

"Yeah, even if she is only 12 she is still almost your age, so we know you'll have fun!" cheered Auntie. [since when has 12 and 17 been the same age? -_-]

Zoe left and headed towards her room. She couldn't believe that her whole future had been planned out by her aunt.

"What? Will they even choose who I'll marry?" exasperated Zoe.

She hastily and forcefully put her belongings in other suitcases for tomorrow's departure. After she was done doing all she needed to do, it had already been a little over six in the afternoon.

Just then she was told to go eat dinner. Zoe reluctantly went to the dining room.

While the three ate there was silence from Zoe. It was only her Aunt who would speak to uncle Tomas, but he barely talked as well. All Zoe would do was cough and occasionally make the little noise you make when the eating utensil hits the plate. [I knw there's a word for that, but what is it?...hm…argh! Can't think…brain..hurts…]

Zoe felt it was taking forever for the gruesome dinner to finally finish.

But with out her noticing it had been about two hours. Zoe had gone up to her room to do any last minute packing and to get away from her aunt and uncle. When she entered the room she automatically fell to the bed, however.

"_I can't believe I'm actually letting all if this happen,_" she thought to herself.

"_What else can you do, huh?"_said another voice. _"Run away?"_

It was her conscience.

"_Yeah, I guess, but they'll know exactly where to find me, with Takuya."_

"_Duh! They'll know that! You pretty much ate him up in front of your family members earlier! That was very…out…there!"_

"_I know it was but I'm glad I did it! I love him. And know I'll never see him again."_

"_You love him? Ha! That's the most childish thing I've ever heard. It's just another little crush you both have on each other and it will all end once you go to Italy. You'll find another fool and he'll find another girl, and it will all be over. Ha! You say you love him, hahaha."_

"_Never! How can I love another? Takuya is the only one I'll ever love. He makes me feel…so much better…"_

"_You think he makes you feel better? You haven't even had sex with him and you're already saying he makes you feel better and that you love him…again, ha!"_

"_Love isn't just sex. Takuya respects me like I am. We didn't need to have a night of passion to say we love each other! I'll never stop loving him!"_

"_Good, you better not stop!"_

"_What?"_

"_Yeah, don't stop believing in that love you have for him, or should I say, for each other…"_

"_What are you talking about now? You're confusing me!"_

"_I really didn't mean about the whole sex and childish thing or whatever. I was just testing your will. Keep it up Zoe, don't loose it."_

"_Umm…okay?"_

"_Yeah, just make sure to keep that will to continue fighting for what you love. Even though some things might seem like the end, you have to have faith in every step you take in life, okay?"_

"_Right"_

"_So…are you ready to continue?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Good. Then wake up. Someone's waiting for you!"_

"_What?"_

Knock.

Zoe opened her eyes and sat up. "What was that?"

Kncock. Knock.

Zoe got up and crawled over the stuff in her bed to the window that was next to her bed. As she did this, she looked at the time. 11: 47.

"What can that be?" she thought aloud.

She looked out side the window and her eyes grew wide. She came face to face with a very familiar face and smiled.

"Takuya?!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**Alright! So I had some problems this past Saturday when I tried to upload the two chapters before this one. I was very mad.**

**Takuya: Utsukushii angry!**

**Me: Yes, I was angry, first because of the problem I was having, and another because I was alone in my house and I didn't know when my family was coming back!**

**Takuya: You're afraid in your house when you're alone?**

**Koji: I'm not.**

**Me: No! It's just that I was on the computer and I was afraid they would see what I was doing! I kept calling them in each of their phones but no one, no one, (grrrr!) would answer. They were about an hour an a half away. I finally was able to reach them three hours they had departed their little place when thye were only ten minutes away from my house. Because of the snow storm on Saturday, it took them longer. And for that I'm so happy! But I was still mad because none would answer! I called seven times each……..**

**Takuya: Utsukushii angry!**

**Me: I get it! Do you want me to get more angry?!**

**Takuya:…no?...**

**Me: That's what I thought! Well, that's it for now, Esta Fue Utsikushii!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22! [I don't really have much to say but…SNOW!] Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 22: December 27 continued, continued….[Why do I make them so looooooong! -_-]

_Knock. Knock._

_Zoe got up and crawled over the stuff in her bed to the window that was next to her bed. As she did this, she looked at the time. 11: 47._

"_What can that be?" she thought aloud._

_She looked outside the window and her eyes grew wide. She came face to face with a very familiar face and smiled._

"_Takuya?!" she exclaimed._

And there was the face of a very cold Takuya looking inside. He smiled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Sorry, but can you open the window?" he asked as he was shivering on the other side. He was sitting on the window sill, which was also cold.

"Oh, sorry!" she said and quickly opened the window.

Takuya climbed into the room and fell into the bed head-first. As he got up he hugged Zoe and she hugged him back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as they were still embraced.

"I wanted to see you," he said innocently. "I didn't like the way your asshole aunt dragged you away like that."

"Neither did I," said Zoe, "but did you seriously plan on doing this? What will your parents say?"

They let go and sat next to each other on the bed.

"I'm not the only one who can sneak out of the house without being noticed," he smirked. But almost instantly changed his expression to a more serious one. "And plus, I don't give a damn to what they or anyone else says, Zoe. I just wanted to be with you…"

"…Takuya…" said Zoe compassionately.

She hit him in the arm. "You are always acting before thinking!" she added.

"Whatever…" he said and rubbed his arm. [It think someone thought it was a hard hit!]

There was a small silent moment, until Takuya broke it.

"So…at what time are you leaving…" he asked quietly.

"Tomorrow at three is when the plane will take off, but we're probably leaving to the airport at about eleven or twelve. My aunt is forcing me to get up at seven to get ready…" She sighed.

"Great! That gives us enough time!" said Takuya smiling.

"What? Enough time for what?" she asked incredulously.

"Well…I was thinking…that, maybe…I can stay for the night...?" he said and closed his eyes waiting for her response.

"Stay the night and what?" she asked still not convinced.

"Well…what do you do in the night?" he asked smart-alicky and opened his eyes.

"Well, I don't know what do _you_ think people do in the night. You tell me," she said and a strong red blush came over her face.

"Sleep! Duh Zoe!" he said and slapped his forehead.

Zoe looked at him skeptically. "What kind of sleep?"

"What kind of sleep, seriously, you know when you close your eyes and have dreams!" as he said this he put his hands together and tilted his head and put his hands under his cheek. He then opened tem again and said, "What other type of sleep is there?...OH!" He started to blush a little.

Zoe looked down at the floor.

"I mean, unless you want you…" he said scratching the back of his head.

"No!" yelled Zoe and pushed him away.

"Shhhh!" shushed Takuya.

"Zoe! Are you still awake? Go to sleep" yelled Auntie from the outside.

Both froze. The couple remained silent for a few moments but both went pale when they heard footsteps coming towards Zoe's room. Zoe motioned for Takuya to go to the closet and close the door.

Zoe unlocked her bedroom door and opened it to reveal Auntie standing in the entrance.

"What are you doing up so late?" she asked. "You're waking up at seven and we're leaving for the airport at about ten and you are still up?" [Ah! Not again with the nagging….]

"Uh…yeah, I was just doing some last minute packing and what not," lied Zoe looking back into her room a couple of times.

"Well, if you were packing why is the window opened?" asked Auntie incredulously. She was pointing at the window.

"I…was…just…enjoying the cool winter nights in Japan," she lied again. "You know, winter is my favorite season!" Zoe added her comment with a smile.

"Sure. Now go to sleep," ordered her aunt and left.

"Don't worry I will!" said Zoe.

Auntie only turned around and thought how weird the girl was.

Zoe in return smiled at her Aunt until she saw her going into the visitor's room and shutting the door.

Zoe closed the door and locked it.

"Takuya!" whispered Zoe loudly. "It's alright, you can come out now."

Takuya slowly emerged from the closet slightly frightened. He whispered, "Do you think we'll get caught?"

"No," answered Zoe. "My room has a lock and I always lock my room. It also has a key and I'm the only one that has the key, and there are no copies."

She quickly climbed into her bed and closed the window. She sighed and sat up.

"Don't worry we'll find a way to fix this…" he said as he also got on the bed and wrapped his arms around the young girl.

"Yeah, I wish," she exasperated. "But I don't think there really is a way to fix this immediately, Takuya!"

They laid back on the bed.

"You can't give up that easily…" he said, "And anyways, once you're done with high school, you can always come here for college."

"No I can't. They have even chosen a college for me…in Italy."

"What?! You'll be an adult by then, they can't do that! What assholes!"

"But I do promise this Takuya…after I'm done with college, or anytime I can escape that torture, I'll come here, I'll come to you."

She began to cry.

"There we go. Even if you are crying, you still are confident," he said as he stroked her hair. "…I love that about you…"

Zoe smiled and kissed him. She calmed down and wiped away some tears. Then her expression became angered. "Oh and then," she started, "when we left your house and we were in the car, she told me that I was too improper and other stupid stuff. Just because I kissed you!"

Takuya could only smile as he remembered the moment.

Zoe continued, "Oh, and then, she took away my phone and gave me this one." She got up and dug into her pocket and showed him the new cell phone.

"Oh, shit! That phone is cool!" he said admiring the phone in his hands. His eyes were glittering as he saw the technologically advanced hand-held device.

"Yeah, sure, but the only reason she gave me that was because my aunt said that I needed a new life and to start it I have to forget about you guys…"

"Assholes," he said as he still was admiring the phone. "But I know you very well Zoe, something like that won't stop you, right?"

"Of course not. Put your number in that thing and I'll ask you for the others' numbers later," she said with a smile.

"Right. I guess I'll call you at a specific time…like…uh, five here in Japan? I don't know somewhere around there and definitely New Years Eve," he said handing Zoe back her phone.

"Yeah…" she said sadly and went into Takuya's arms.

He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Don't worry, we'll find a way to be together again…I know there is a way…"

* * *

**Alright end of this chap!**

**It's snowing! Wee! I hope I have no school tomorrow so I can type some more! Takuya was very sweet in this chapter I think he deserves a cookie! Come here Takuya *whistles* Come here boy!**

**Takuya: *Comes running in* I'm here! I'm here!**

**Me: good boy! You were very good so here's a cookie! Go catch it! *throws cookie in air***

**Takuya: *jumps and grabs it with his mouth and runs away***

**Me: Oh such a good boy! ^_^**

**Esta Fue Utsukushii! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Here is chapter 23! I had no school today! Heehee!**

* * *

Chapter 23: December 28

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The couple stirred.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The alarm was becoming louder.

"Agh, shut up stupid thing…" said Zoe groggily.

The two were wrapped around each other. It was 5 am and Zoe slowly got up and pressed the button in the alarm, finally stopping the annoying beeping.

"Why did you put the alarm?" said Takuya as he sat up on the bed.

"You know why…" she replied and sat next to the boy. Takuya put his arms around her.

"I can't believe it's time already," he said.

"Yeah, but I had to put the alarm so my aunt wont come and surprise us…" she said. "But it's time…"

"I don't want to go, I'm good were I am," he said childishly and brought Zoe closer to him.

"But you have to go before the sun comes up or you'll be seen," she said.

"I don't fucking care if people see me…" he said and turned Zoe to face him.

"Come on let's get up," she said softly giving him a kiss on his lips.

It took a while for Takuya to let go, but he knew better. He got up and put on his jacket. Zoe also got up and faced the boy.

"So…is this it…?" he asked lowering his gaze.

"No it's not!" she said confidently. "We'll be together again Takuya! You can count on that!"

"Zoe, if you can't come here, I'll go find you. Even if it takes me hours, days, and years to search for an address I'll—" he was cut off.

Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips on to his. Takuya eagerly returned the kiss as passionately as Zoe had given it to him.

After a while, they broke the kiss.

"I'm going to miss you…" Zoe said breathlessly.

"If we believe in ourselves I know we will see each other again…" said Takuya. "…so this isn't a goodbye, I hope."

"yeah, you're right, it isn't,… so um…" she struggled.

"Here," he said.

"What?" she said looking at the boy as he was taking off his jacket and the sweater under it.

"Here, take my red hoodie," said as he handed her the hoodie.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked dumbfounded a she looked at the hoodie.

"Um, this might sound cheesy, but…since I won't be there physically with you, you know, to, um, comfort you and all, uh, you can wear this you know, so you can feel…uh, better…" he explained and blushed a little as he scratched his neck.

Zoe looked intently at the sweater. It was a red Nike hoodie with black stitching. Under the Nike mark, in small letters it read "Shibuya Soccer" in, well, Japanese. Although it was a little big on her, it didn't look hideously large.

After inspecting how it looked on her, she then saw Takuya. She began to cry.

"I'll always wear this and the two necklaces," she said as Takuya had taken her into his arms. "I wish I can give you something, but I really don't have anything to give…"

"Don't worry. I always have you with me, somehow," he said.

The two remained embraced for a couple of minutes until Takuya said what Zoe feared the most.

"I guess…I should go…now…" he said.

Zoe stared at him.

"Take care Zoe, I'll be waiting…" he said and climbed into the window.

"Me too. And don't be reckless," she said as she wiped her face and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said.

Zoe went to her window and gave Takuya one last kiss. He descended the house.

She saw how her love was going down the house and landed safely on the ground. Takuya, looking back one last time, began running. Unbeknownst to her, Takuya was shedding a few tears as he ran through the cold winter dawn.

Zoe slowly closed the window. She fell into her bed and cried herself to sleep.

_--------------7 AM_

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Zoe woke up.

"Come one Zoe! Wake up! You must get ready!" came the voice of Auntie. [oh no….]

Zoe sighed. She noticed she still had the red sweater that Takuya had given her on. Seeing this gave her a bit of hope.

"Okay. I can do this…" she said motivating herself.

She got up and took a shower and ate breakfast with her family members.

Auntie noticed this new attitude Zoe was experiencing.

"Why Zoe, you seem a little…um, different today?" she asked. [nosy! ]

"Oh, I guess it was because I slept well. You know, warm and comfortable…"she said with a smile and took a bite off her waffle. [right, of course…warm and comfortable…with you know who…]

Zoe was wearing the red sweater and inside she had both necklaces on.

"What is with that sweater?" asked Aunite looking at the piece of clothing intently. "It seems to fit you quite big…"

"Oh, uh…It's very…important to me…um, it was a very important gift…" said Zoe looking at her plate and did not speak of it any more.

It had become close to ten AM and the three had gone to the airport. They waited a long time. There was a problem with their flight, which gave Zoe hope. But Auntie did everything she had to do to correct the error.

And it worked.

After a while, the flight was there. They were now boarding the plane.

"_When am I going to wake up from this nightmare?" _she thought to herself as she remembered the good times she had had with her friends. Meeting the guys, 8th grade graduation, meeting Kelsi, going to high school, all the other fun times, and most importantly, Takuya. The moment he told her that he love her was the most wonderful memory she had.

Zoe found herself inside the plane going down the aisle. She quickly took a seat separate from her Aunt and Unlce, but they sat behind her.

"Hello and welcome! We hope you enjoy your flight to the wonderful country of Italy. Whether you're visiting for the first time or going back home, Italy will fill you with amazing memories that will last a life time. Now at this moment, please buckle your seatbelts. We will take off shortly. And again, we hope you enjoy!" said the female flight attendant from the front of the plane.

"_Yeah sure, I'll enjoy the flight,"_ thought Zoe as she grimaced at the thought.

Because Zoe's mom's family was rich, her aunt was able to ride on first class. Zoe on the other hand, would not mind where she sat.

Zoe tried to make herself comfortable in her seat. Auntie intently looked at Zoe from her seat. [Nosy much?]

Zoe looked out the window.

"We will be taking off now, please make sure to always wear your seatbelt at all times. Enjoy!" said the flight attendant as she smiled to the people in the seats.

"_Good bye Japan, bye guys, bye Takuya……goodbye mom and dad…."_

And the plane took off.

----------------------

* * *

**Oh no! Zoe left to Italy! Oh no! What will happened next? Will the two ever see each other again? And will I ever stop being addicted to Fanfiction and actual study for my chemistry quiz tomorrow? Oh well, I have like a few hours left before I get sleepy! But the last question I can tell you I'll never stop being addicted! ^_^ To fanfic of course!**

**And I'm also glad I had no school today, because of the snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I do something educational? Nope! ^_^**

**Takuya: No! You're also addicted to Recess peanut butter cups!**

**Me: Oh…that's good…*drools***

**Takuya: and you're also addicted to Digimon, and blue, and chocolate cereal…**

**Me: *drools some more* heee…heee….heee**

**Takuya: and you're also addicted to me!**

**Me: *Stops drooling and glares* Seriously?**

**Takuya: I'll leave now….*leaves***

**Me: That's a good boy! More cookies!**

**Takuya: Ooooh!**

**Me: Well, Esta Fue Utsukushii en un dia relajado y sin penas, y con mucha nieve, okay quizas no mucha, pero si!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Alright chapter 24! Snow, snow, snow!**

* * *

Chapter 24: December 30

Yeah…I'm in Italy now….and how annoying.

For the past few days, I've been settling in. But it would be a lot easier if I didn't have an annoying little cousin or family. Arrrggg! She is sooo freakin' annoying. She checks up on me as if it was her job and she is just up in my face! She pretty much stalks me.

When I arrived, she immediately asked me what my name was, why my parents died, and how I came to get there. She even asked about Takuya. Well, she said, "And who's that little poor weasel you slobber over all the time?" My aunt probably told her something… But that wasn't all she said and asked noo! She had the audacity to ask me if Takuya and I had, well, had sex. What kind of girl is she! She's twelve! Well, I bet I knew about sex way before, but I wouldn't go around asking if anyone had had sex! Seriously, my aunt is very nosy and indiscreet! Now I know where my cousin gets it. I bet she tells Simonetta, my cousin, to spy on me at all times possible.

She has also tries to see some of my stuff. I don't ever let her see my cell phone or the sweater. I always make sure I have the cell phone with me. She's always looking at my things and picking them up and putting her dirty little hands on them! Thank goodness I haven't showed the two necklaces Takuya gave me or she'll probably be running through the yard or something with them until they "accidentally" broke.

She also checks my clothing. She looks at it, wants it, wears it, and ultimately runs it. She already destroyed one of my shirts with coffee stains…All that in just a matter of two days or so….Because of that, I always wear the sweater. To my "surprise", she asked me about the sweater. I lied to her saying that I played for a soccer team back in Japan. I have never played soccer in my life, only for like fun or something, but I'm not good at it. But I just said that and nothing else.

I was able to get the numbers of my buddies back home. Takuya and I got a chance to speak when I arrived from the airport. Although I have no friends here that are my age, one maid has actually become my friend. She is three or four years older than I am. She is very young and pretty. Her name is Constanza and she is very nice and supporting. Although I probably shouldn't trust anyone here, she is very trustworthy. I guess it's just how she is. We pretty much just spilled out life stories to each other!

Yeah I told her about my parents and how they died and how I had to leave my whole life back in Japan. Constanza has both parents, but her family is kinda poor. She couldn't finish high school so she had to work to earn some money. She said that one day she came across an ad that said a house needed a maid, so she ended up here in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. She originally is from Maiano, not too far from here. She was actually in my room when Simonetta asked me about the whole sex thing or whatever. I made my cousin leave because I just couldn't stand her and I didn't answer her question. So Constanza smirked at me. But I explained everything to her and how it really happened between Takuya and me.

Such an annoying brat. Now school is such a different –blah! From what I know, I'm going to the most prestigious all-girls' boarding school in Italy, meaning they want to keep that reputation at all costs, yielding, none other than snobby, stuck-up girls. I'll start the fourth of January and still be part of the senior class. I guess that's the only good thing. I'm actually looking forward for when I graduate! Other than that, life is going and is crap! I never really thought I would end up having such a horrible life. It has gone downhill so quickly, it's hard to keep up.

Tomorrow is New year's eve. So I guess I'll start a new life, just like a new year. Isn't there saying for that? Oh, whatever. Takuya said he would call me when it was their new year's and when it was new year's here. Because of time difference, it will be sort of at different times and all that crap. I'll miss him. And I'll also miss the rest.

This will be the first New Year's without my parents. I can only imagine the joys this new family will bring…yay-not.

-------------------------------

* * *

**Okay, so Zoe is in Italy! Now if you remember in the last chapter, I mentioned a chemistry quiz. Well, I ended up studying for that, just to not have it the next day! GRRRRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRRRRRRRR!**

**But anyways, if you have not gone to my profile, this might be the only review I do over the weekend. [hopefully not]. So stay tuned just in case, just not as much!**

**So, if I'm finished typing the next chapter, I might update sooner, and all that crap! **

**Bueno, esta fue Utsukushii!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Alright chapter 25! So my light didn't go out or anything! I just couldn't get my chapters typed that's all. So I split this chap into two. Why? Well, it would get too long, and I didn't want to bore you guys, and two, I really don't have another reason. **

* * *

Chapter 25: December 31

"Zoe, please wear a nice dress for our last dinner of the year!" screeched Auntie. [sigh!]

"A dress? Are you serious?" asked Zoe as she scowled.

"Yes, you're a young woman, you wear beautiful gowns, make-up and lot's of jewelry!" said Auntie raising her hands with joy.

"Sorry, but I don't really like dresses," said Zoe as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, you are going to wear a dress whether you like it or not," said Auntie sternly.

Zoe froze at her Aunt's authority.

Auntie's expression softened a bit. "If you don't have one, we'll go shopping and buy you the girliest most beautiful dress there is!"

"No, that's alright. I'll just wear a very simple and nice dress from –"

"No. Then we'll go shopping," ordered her Auntie.

Zoe rolled her eyes again.

----------4 PM (after shopping)

"Look at how great it looks!" screeched Auntie. "You should wear it from now till New Year's countdown!" [ANNOYING O_O]

Zoe looked at Constanza. Constanza had a condolence face.

"Alright, I'll leave so you can get ready with you're make up and all, oh how exciting!" screeched her aunt again and left. [finally!]

"What do you think?" asked Zoe as she looked at Constanza. "Tell me the truth, please!"

"Uh, well, it's very…lively?" said Cosntanza.

The dress was a pink dress that was knee-length. The dress itself was not bad, but there were a few details Zoe didn't like.

"I mean, I like it I guess but I don't know…" started Zoe as she looked down at the dress. "…I guess because my aunt chose it I just don't like it, and also it's pink, I rarely wear pink! My favorite color is purple, which is a totally different color from pink!"

"So was the whole experience bad?" asked Constanza.

"Yeah!" yelled Zoe. "She was telling me what to look at and what to try on! I wanted to tell her what I wanted, but she didn't let me. I was really close to exploding, but I didn't think it was wise…"

"yeah, seeing from what she can do, telling her off wouldn't be the best choice…" advised Constanza.

The door opened. It was Auntie.

"Oh I came to see what you would wear and how you would do your hair," she said as she closed the door.

Zoe sighed.

"Now, let's see…" said Auntie as she inspected the hair.

Then there was a ring. It was coming from a cell phone.

Zoe looked at her cell phone and turned pale. She then looked at the time. It was past four.

"_New Year's in Japan…" thought Zoe._

Zoe quickly tried to tuck it away. She knew exactly who it was.

"Who is it?" asked Auntie suspiciously. "I don't really think anyone should be calling you if we are the only ones that have your numbers."

Zoe was left speechless. The phone was still ringing.

"Give it to me," ordered Auntie.

Zoe hesitated but handed the phone to her anyways.

Auntie looked at the caller-id and answered it. "Hello?" she said firmly.

In the other line, Takuya remained silent. "_Shit…"_ he thought and bit his lip.

"I don't know how or why you got my niece's phone number, but you will never call her again. Understood?" said Auntie angrily.

A muffled "yes" was heard from the boy.

"Good," finished Auntie and hung up.

-------_In Japan_

"Hey, dude! Takuya! What happened?" asked Koji he waved his hand over Takuya's face.

Takuya was pale and the phone was still to his ear.

"She answered…" he said in a low voice.

"Of course she answered!" said Koji matter-of-factly. "It's Zoe's phone!"

"No! her aunt answered," said Takuya raising his voice.

They were surrounded by their happy family members as they were celebrating their New Year's. The lights were bright and everyone was happy and gay as they laughed. Except, of course, for what had now turned into a group of five teens.

"What happened?" asked Kelsi as she approached the other two boys. She was followed by Tommy and Kouichi.

"Zoe's dumbass Aunt answered Takuya," said Koji.

"What?!" exasperated Kelsi. "She even carry's Zoe's phone around!"

"I don't know, but she answered it…" said Takuya in a monotone.

"What did she say?" asked Kouichi.

"She said to never call her again…" answered Takuya in the same voice.

"Will you stop calling her though?" asked Tommy.

"Of course not," said Takuya. "I don't care if her aunt or anyone else tells me to stop calling her. I will never until I want to!" His face had turned stern and red. [Takuya angry!]

-----------------------------------------------------

* * *

**So I split this chap into two. Why? Well, it would get too long, and I didn't want to bore you guys, and two, I really don't have another reason. SO go on to the next chapter to find out more!**

**Zoe: Why are you updating at 11 AM? Aren't you suppose to be in school right now?**

**Me: Well, Zoe, good question. I actually didn't have school today! My school got closed because of the huge snow storm! YAY! That means more Takumi!**

**Zoe: oh, how exciting -_-**

**Me: I know! So for now, Esta fue Utsukishii!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Two updates in one day, I know, but yeah…Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 26: December 31 continued

_---------In Italy_

"Here you go," said her aunt without looking at her.

Zoe took the phone into her hands.

"Remember to wear your dress to dinner and I don't want anymore rebellion," she said and left the room one more time.

Zoe let out a long sigh. [suspiro del alma!]

"Who was it?" asked Constanza as she stood to where the girl was standing. "Was it the boy?"

"I'lll call him to explain everything," said Zoe as she again sighed.

"You'll still speak with him after your aunt said to not?!" said Constanza.

"Yeah, I have to!" said Zoe. "I know he'll be wondering about what just happened. And plus, I have to wish him the best because it's already New Year's in Japan…"

Constanza shrugged.

_--------8:30 PM_

"So what are your resolutions for the New Year?" asked Auntie.

"_To leave this burning hell…" _thought Zoe as she took a bite of her meal. She was wearing the dress her aunt had bought earlier. She felt slightly out of place and uncomfortable.

"Well, if no one wants to say, I will," started Auntie. "Mine is to lose some weight! I have been growing fat!"

"_What is she talking about, she's even skinnier than I am!"_ thought Zoe.

"And you Tomas?" asked Auntie.

"I don't know…I have to think about it…" said Uncle Tomas.

"You Simonetta?"

"I want to continue achieving academically and morally," said the little girl with a smile. She then looked at Zoe.

Zoe glared back.

"How about you Zoe?"

"Um, well, to make the best out of this new life," answered Zoe never looking up.

The family was in a big dining hall. The table was humongous with more than ten chairs available. All four people were sitting on one end of the table, with Simonetta sitting in front of Zoe.

"Well, if you want to start off right, you should forget about those people in Japan," retorted Auntie.

Zoe remained silent.

"Give me your phone," said Auntie.

Zoe finally looked up, her face filled with rage. "Again with that crap!" she yelled.

Auntie's face became very stern. "Give. Me. The. Phone." She demanded.

"Why don't you just accept that I'm not like you!" cried Zoe. "Just because my friends back home are not rich and stuck-up like you doesn't mean you have the right to make me forget them! My friends are my family now, they are part of who I am, whether you like it or not." Tears had begun rolling down her face.

"Give me the phone!" yelled Auntie.

Unwillingly, Zoe gave the phone to Auntie.

"There, that wasn't so hard…" said Auntie. "You will have no contact with Japan, ever again." Aunt Antonella walked to the living room. She placed the phone on one of the stands.

"The phone will remain in the living room, and I will answer all the calls you receive," said Auntie as she sat back down in the dining room.

Zoe had lowered her head and was wiping her tears.

"Zoe eat your food, you'll need it," said Auntie.

Zoe slowly picked up her eating utensils and took a few bites.

For the rest of the dinner, only the three, Auntie, Tomas, and Simonetta, would speak amongst themselves. Occasionally, Auntie would ask Zoe a question, but Zoe would only give a simple answer, never a full sentence.

Until about an hour later the dinner finally was over. Zoe immediately ran to her room and laid on the bed to cry bitterly.

The other three went to the living room.

"We have to find a way to control that girl…" started Auntie.

"Yeah…" answered Uncle Tomas.

"You know…I can't believe my sister Annabella would ever raise her child like that." She sighed.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I think she should be homeschooled, instead," said Simonetta deviously. "So maybe you can keep an eye on her more." [two words for you: shut up.]

"Yeah…that actually sounds like a good idea…" said Auntie in agreement.

There was an awkward bumping sound coming from the entrance hall of the house. The three in the living room remained silent.

The bumping repeated itself.

"What was that?" said Auntie frightened.

Both father and daughter shrugged.

"All the servants left and the only ones remaining are the cook, the housekeeper, and Constanza, right?" asked Auntie. "And Constanza is probably with Zoe…"

The other two nodded.

"…I'll go check…" said Auntie slowly as she got up to go to the entrance hall.

As she was entering the corridor that headed towards the entrance hall, she stopped in her tracks.

Auntie turned pale as a gun was being pointed right at her.

"Hello, sorry to barge in like that…" said a voice, which belonged to the one holding the gun.

"W-who are you?" asked Auntie as that was the only thing she could say.

The man smirked and walked closer to where it was full of light.

-----------------------

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**Dun-dun-duuuuuunnn! What do you think? Sorry for that ending, but I kind of what you all to be sort of surprised! I was really bored today, and I haven't really done anything for tomorrow's possible school day, so I was really bored. The only thing I did was go walk my dog….**

**Hopefully tomorrow I wont have school, I'm suppose to be in this little math test competition thingy, and I **_**really**_**, don't want to take the test! So everyone have a great week!**

**Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry fro such a long time, you know the rest. Enjoy! Oh, and also an urgent news in the bottom author's note, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 27: December 31 continued

_----------9:45 pm_

The room was beautifully lit by candles and the fire of the chimney. All the light revealed a man wearing black clothing tying up the last of his victims, Aunt Antonella. Simonetta and Tomas were tied up in other chairs next to where Auntie was being placed.

Then, came the other man who was accompanying him. He had two older ladies sit in other chairs they had gotten from the dining room.

"I found these in the kitchen," said the other man referring to the two older women.

Soon, they were tying them up.

"What do you want?" asked Auntie anxiously.

"What do I want?" mocked the shorter out of the two. "I want the girl, Annabella's girl."

"Zoe? You want my sister's daughter?" asked Auntie, confused. "You know my sister is dead?"

"Yeah, I know she's dead, along with her pathetic faggot she called her husband," snickered the man.

"How do you know them?" said Auntie nervously.

"None of your business!" yelled the man. "Zoe! Oh Zoe! Come here Zoe!"

Constanza was coming down the steps, but stopped when she heard the strange voice calling for Zoe. She peeked from behind the wall of the steps and saw two men wearing black. One was shorter than the other, but both had guns in their hands. She saw the whole family tied up.

"_Who are they? And why are the family doing tied up and why do they want Zoe?" _she asked herself and slowly tip-toed back upstairs.

"Zoe!" said Constanza as she entered the room. "There are these strange men downstairs, and they have tied up the whole family including the other maids and they want you!" she said quickly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Zoe surprised. "What?!"

"They are th—" Cosntanza was going to repeat her explanation.

"No, I got that, but what do these men want with me?" asked Zoe.

"I don't know, but they have guns and they don't look nice," said Constanza taking a seat in the bed.

Zoe's face became wary.

"So Kenichi, are those ladies all you found?" asked the short man.

"Yeah," answered Kenichu. "I don't know if there are other people in here other than the girl, Hiroshi."

Hiroshi shrugged.

"Mom, who are they, what's going on?" yelled Simonetta.

"Shut up, girl!" said Hiroshi and slapped Simonetta across the face.

She squeeled and began to cry.

"Don't hurt my daughter!" demanded Uncle Tomas.

"You too, shut up!" ordered Hiroshi. He had a mocking expression on his face. "So, are you going to tell me where the girl is?" He took out a knife.

No one answered.

"No?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around Simonetta's neck. She whimpered.

Auntie still remained silent.

"Come on, tell me. Or I'll kill her," said Hiroshi holding Simonetta tighter.

Auntie grew nervous. She had lowered her gaze and had started to breath quickly. "…Never," she said quietly.

Simonetta's eyes grew wide. Both Tomas and Hiroshi became surprised.

"Wow…choose a niece over your own daughter, how pathetic…" said Hiroshi.

Hiroshi then ran the knife through Simonetta's neck slowly.

Simonetta cried in pain. Auntie looked at her dying daughter in horror. She was speechless.

"Don't worry, it will only take a few minutes…" mocked Hiroshi as he wiped the knife with some cloth.

"No! Simonetta!" cried Uncle Tomas.

"Okay, I've had it with you," said Kenichi impatiently and took out his gun.

"Whoa, hold it there Kenichi," said Hiroshi pacifically. "We want the girl, so we have to make her come to us…"

Kenichi put his gun away.

Both Auntie and Tomas were crying for their daughter, whose corpse was covered in blood.

_-------Upstairs_

Constanza gasped. "They just killed Simonetta!"

"No…" gasped Zoe. "I mean, she was annoying and all, but she didn't deserve death…"

"What should we do?" asked Constanza nervously.

Zoe thought for a moment. "Wait. Do my Aunt and Uncle still work with the government agency?"

Constanza nodded.

"Then don't they have all those gadgets and what not?"

"I think so…they have been working with the government police for long, I think they should have _some_ kinds of useful materials…"

"Right. So let's go get what we can find, we can surely come up with a plan."

Constanza nodded and she slowly guided Zoe towards her Aunt and Uncle's room.

_------10:00Pm_

"Hello. This is Zoe Orimoto. I am the daughter of Annabella and Kinya Orimoto. I am a senior in high school and am seventeen years of age. If anyone is to find this recording, you will find out why this house is how it is.

Well, before I start I must also mention that here are also multiple recorders around the house. FYI my Aunt and Uncle Antonella and Tomas Bianchi work for the government in Italy, hence the many recorders. The other recorders are located only in this floor for safety reasons. There are in three other locations: one in my Aunt and Uncles room, one in Simonetta's room. Oh that is my cousin, daughter of Antonella and Tomas. And the other one is in the upper library. We have placed them near vents so you can hear what is going on. Oh, and when I say "we" I mean me, Zoe Orimoto, and Constanza Allegra. She is one of the servants in the house.

But like I was saying, I would also like to say, that if anything were to happen to us, I would like you to tell my friends back in Japan that I love them. That I will always be grateful for all that they did for me, especially the Kanbara family in the Shibuya district. …I love you Takuya…

(long pause)

…Now I'll tell you what is going on. Apparently two strange men have ambushed the house and have tied up my aunt, uncle, Simonetta, and two other servants. Unfortunately they have already killed two out of the five. Simonetta and Uncle Tomas. Simonetta because my aunt would not reveal my location and uncle Tomas because, well, I quote, "Shut up you faggot! I'll kill you, you are annoying me." Uh…yeah, my uncle was talking too much and one of them just killed him…

The names I have picked up from the two men are Hiroshi, who appears to be the leader, so to speak, and the other, Kenichi, probably an accomplice. I think they are searching for me because they said, and I again quote, "Where is the girl, where is Zoe Orimoto?" They have not, however, stated the reason as to why they want me.

They also know about my deceased parents. Oh…uh, yeah, my parents, uh, they died from a car accident that was left unsolved. I was in it, but I survived. I never found out what happened, really…But yeah.

It is currently…10:15 pm, about an hour and forty-five minutes before the New Year. Um, it's December 31st…I don't know how exactly we'll survive, but we're just hoping for the best. So wish us the best…"

* * *

**Sorry for the long time of no updates! I was reading other fanfics that I forgot about my own…yeah! This whole week however I have had time to type some more. And also I have some news. The next week, is the beginning of lent. Yeah, I'm catholic, so what! So I've decided to give up for lent, meaning I'll only update my stories, but I wont really read any other stories. So if I don't review a story or read it in along time, don't think anything bad. But the good thing is that I have the day I'll come back and try to catch up on ALL the stories, okay as many as I can! But yeah, **

**Esta Fue Utsukushii!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Yup! Chapter 28…don't really know what to say…Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 28: December 31 continued, continued, contin- oh you get it!

_-------10:50 PM_

"Come on Zoe!" called Hiroshi. "Come out and we'll be nice!"

It had been about 50 minutes of the same. Hiroshi would call out her name and there was no response. But the two men were becoming impatient.

All the time the recorders were in use.

"Alright Kenichi, go look for the bitch. She should be hiding," ordered Hiroshi. "But don't kill her, I want to see her alive…"

From upstairs, Zoe and Constanza had heard the order Hiroshi had given.

"Dang it! He's coming here!" said Zoe as she got up.

"What do we do?" asked Constanza.

From the closet of Zoe's aunt and uncle, the two women also found rope, pepper spray, and surprisingly, guns and other police weapons.

"Uh…um…" started Zoe as she was looking around. "Uh, go hide in the closet, and I'll lure him to where I am…um and once he's close, you whack him in the head with something, just go to the closet out side my room…"

"Yeah," nodded Constanza. "I'll just hit him with this." She took a lamp that was disconnected from the plug.

Constnaza went to her assigned position. She slowly closed the door just to leave a small crack for her to see.

"I hope this works…" mused Zoe nervously. She positioned herself behind her bedroom door.

After a few moments both heard footsteps on the stairs. Zoe's heart was beating rapidly. She felt as though her heart would burst.

"Come on Zoe, where are you?" said Kenichi as he lurked through the hallway.

"…Right here, you idiot," yelled Zoe, trying to not to make her voice seem shaky.

"What is that? You want to die earlier?" mocked Kenichi. "I don't blame you, you do have a miserable life. No parents, no friends, and no little boyfriend of yours to take care of you…"

"_Is he talking about Takuya…?" _she thought. _"How do they know?"_

"Well, at least I don't kill people because I'm a pussy or anything!" shot Zoe back.

Kenichi was becoming irritated as he slowly approached her room.

Zoe saw him drawing closer from the small crack behind the door. Now, he was walking right in from of the closet that Constanza was located.

Constanza held her breath as her grip on the lamp became tighter.

"_Come one Constanza…"_ thought Zoe as her heart was beating faster. She felt as though her heart would burst.

Kenichi was now entering the room.

"_Constanza…"_ Zoe closed her eyes and held her hands to her chest.

She then heard a big thud. Zoe opened her eyes and saw Kenichi on the floor unconscious.

Constanza was standing on him. "Who knew standing on top of people can be kind of fun," she said and smiled.

Zoe returned the smile and grabbed the rope.

_------11:30 PM_

"Alright, I've had it with you Zoe, come down now, or I'll kill your aunt!" threatened Hiroshi.

No answer.

"Zoe, are you really going to let him kill her?" asked Constanza.

"I don't know…but while I might just go down and—" Zoe stopped talking. There was a gunshot that traveled throughout the house and reached her room.

"There. I was too impatient I just had to kill her," said Hiroshi casually. "I need you to come down Zoe, I want you to see your dead family members. But you must be used to it, now that you're parents died…How fun that car ride was…" He smirked.

"What does he mean by that?" asked Zoe as she lifted her head and wiped a few tears from her face.

Both women remained silent.

"If you want to know what I mean with that, you have to come down here!" he said. "But wait. I might as well just tell you know something now that you are just going to die anyways…"

Zoe closed here eyes.

"Well," began Hiroshi, "that little car ride you had with your parents the day of the crash, well, I caused the crash! Yup I did!" He was becoming excited as his voice became louder.

"H-he…c-caused the c-crash?" said Zoe as tears were collecting in her eyes.

"Yeah, I caused it!" he said. "But you need to come down here to find out the rest!" he began to laugh crazily.

Zoe groaned in exasperation. "That little-ugh!" she said.

"I don't know what you did with Kenichi, but he was an idiot anyways, so I'm not so surprised that a little girl like you could do something to him…" mused Hiroshi.

As if he had heard his name, Kenichi stirred as he was laid in a corner of the room.

Constanza seeing this grabbed the lamp she used to leave him unconscious and hit him behind the head again. He fell back to the floor.

_-----a while later_

"Oh, look at the time!" said Hiroshi happily. It's 11:40, just 20 minutes before new years!"

"No you idiot, I hadn't noticed…" said Zoe sarcastically as she paced in her room impatiently. She checked the recorder to see if it was still on. She saw the on light on it and said all that Hiroshi had said about the crash, just in case it wasn't audible. Then she started to pace again.

After a few minutes of an ominous silence, Hiroshi spoke again.

"Okay, if you don't come down here, I'll kill the rest of the fools I have tied up," he threatened.

Zoe looked at the clock.

11:52 PM.

"Just 8 minutes before new Years," she said aloud. Then she stopped in her tracks as she heard a familiar sound.

It was the ringing of her phone in the living room.

"Oh, who could that be?" asked Hiroshi as he walked to where the phone was sitting. "Ah, talk about luck, hey Zoe! Guess who it is! It's your little boyfriend…what was his name again…Takuya!" He said this as he looked at the caller ID. "I'll answer and wish him the best New Years, and a new slut he could play around with…"

* * *

**Takuya! What are you doing! Naw, just kidding I don't think he knows…or does he? But yeah, I decided to end it here because, well, I don't exactly know…**

**Takuya: So are you saying that I'm not dumb?**

**Me: No! Silly where did you get that idea from?**

**Takuya: I hate it when my hopes are put up…*walks away slowly with his gaze down***

**Me: Aw…want a hug?**

**Takuya: …maybe…**

**Me: Then don't come to me, go to Zoe or something!**

**Takuya: Okay!**

**Me: Well, while Takuya tries to get his hug…**

**Zoe: EW! Let me go! Stop it!**

**Me:…I'll just say it! Esta fue Utsukushii!**

**Takuya: Oh, come one Zoe, hugs are special!**

**Zoe: NO!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Here is chapter 29! So we left off with Hiroshi looking at the phone…Enjoy!**

* * *

Zoe's eyes grew wide. "No, Takuya…" she thought as she remembered the small conversation she had with the boy earlier that afternoon.

_-----Flashback_

"_Hey Takuya!" greeted Zoe._

"_Hey Zoe, What's up? What was all that about?" he asked as he remembered when Zoe's aunt answered the phone earlier. "You know it's three AM here right?"_

"_Yeah, that's why I'm calling, I knew you were still awake," she said and laughed a bit. "Oh, and sorry about the whole thing with my aunt. She was right in front of me when you called, and I'm not really supposed to have a long contact list…"_

"_Man that sucks!" he said. "She fucking scared me!"_

"_Yeah me too, so how is it in Japan?" she asked._

"_Oh, you know, we had the New year's party, and everyone came and all…but, it wasn't really the same," he said quietly_

"_Why wasn't it?" she asked curiously._

"_Because you weren't here…" he said cherubically._

"_I miss you," she said, "I miss you all…"_

"_I miss you, we all do, you should see Kelsi…" he said sympathetically._

"_Oh, say hi to her for me when you see her!" she said._

"_Yeah, so how's Italy?"_

"_ugh! It's only seven pm here, so we're just getting ready for dinner, which will only be the four of us, no one else," _

"_Really? No one coming over, no friends?"_

"_Yeah, no friends-nothing! Just us and my aunt making me—" she was cut off by Constanza as she entered the room. Constanza motioned to her that her Aunt was coming. "Sorry Takuya, but my aunt is coming and I don't want her to see me."_

"_It's alright, I understand, I love you…I really miss you…"_

"_Me too, take care, gotta go! Bye!" Zoe quickly hung up and Auntie entered the room_

_-------End flashback_

"Hello?" answered Hiroshi.

"Whoa?! Um…is this Zoe's uncle Tom, Thompson, or something?" asked the boy in the other line.

"Oh, my no! I'm just her murderer," said Hiroshi casually.

"Wait—what?!" said Takuya surprised.

In Japan, it was almost 8 Am. Takuya thought he had heard wrong because he had had little sleep. He went to sleep a little after he and Zoe had their conversation earlier.

"Yeah! I'm her murderer!" said Hiroshi.

"What do you mean? Who are you?!" yelled Takuya.

"You know, a person who kills, yeah, I'm the person who killed your precious little Zoe. Oh, and I didn't just kill her, but hit her, multiple times and very hard, tortured her, and of course, I raped her, I just had to. No wonder you were with her, such great company…"

"No you can't…you didn't—why Zoe?"

"Why I can't tell you boy! I'm actually glad you called. I just wanted to wish you a great and happy new year! Oh and you might want to find a new slut, your old one is dead. There might not be too much excitement in that!" laughed Hiroshi and hung up.

There was a moment of silence.

"You see Zoe, I told him that because I just wanted to give you a sneak peek of what will happen in the near future!" Hiroshi said as he laughed.

The second his laughter reached Zoe's ears, shivers went down her spine. "I can't believe he told Takuya that…" she said.

_------In Japan_

Takuya was speechless. "Zoe…dead...? It can't be, she can't be dead?!" he thought. "Who was that son of a bitch? He hurt her, raped her, killed her…he raped her!"

As Takuya was replaying the conversation in his head, the raven-haired twins walked into his room.

"Hey dude, thanks for letting us sleep over," said Kouichi as he walked towards Takuya.

"…The bastard killed her, he killed her. The motherfucker killed her…" said Takuya in a low voice.

"Whoa, what are you talking about?" asked Koji.

Takuya sat the twins down to explain to them what had happened.

"So…" began Kouichi recapping what was told to him, "…a random guy said he killed Zoe and raped her? What?"

"Yeah, and we have to do something, but what?" asked Takuya as he thought.

"Wait. So you and Zoe, you know…spent time together?" snickered Kouichi.

"No idiot! I never touched her!" exasperated Takuya.

"Takuya what can we do?" said Koji going back to the subject. "She's a million miles away, we can't just call up the Italian police and say 'Hey there was this dude I have no idea about who said that he killed and raped my friend.' You just can't do that. We're in Japan and she's in Italy. We don't even know where exactly she lives!"

Koji's words pierced Takuya in the heart. He felt an uneasy pain as the words registered in his mind.

Takuya was unable to hold back his tears for they were slowly rolling down his face. "I-I feel so h-helpless…" he managed to say.

The twins glanced at each other sympathetically.

_-----In Italy: January 1_

"Happy New Year! Happy New year!" cheered Hiroshi.

Every time Hiroshi spoke, Zoe grew more impatient. "Okay, I can't take it anymore, I have to confront him."

"What Zoe?! No!" said Constanza standing to stop the girl.

"No I have to. I need to find out more about my parents' death. I'm going downstairs armed though, just in case," reassured Zoe.

"But what if he goes after you?" asked Constanza.

"Well, I'll just have to run away I guess," said Zoe as she looked away.

Zoe thought for a moment. _"What can I do…?"_ she asked herself. After a while she came up with something.

"I know!" she said. "Which are the exits to the backyard?"

"Um, well, one's in the kitchen, the other through the living room and another through the basement. Why?"

"Well, doesn't the other staircase take you to the kitchen?"

"Yeah…Zoe where are you going with this?"

"I can just run away from the living room through the kitchen and through the backyard! I'll go around the pool and run through the woods, maybe then you can take care of the other maids downstairs and escape."

"But what about you?"

"Hopefully if I get away, he'll want to stop and go back and you can call the police or something…I'm not sure, but we have to get away!"

"I guess…"

"Yeah, I'll just take some materials and see what I can do with them. Also, you have a clear view from here of the backyard," said Zoe pointing to the window. "When you see me running away and Hiroshi following you should go," she said and grabbed rope, a gun, and a knife.

"Alright…" said Constanza hersitantly. "Good luck…"

Zoe nodded and headed towards the other staircase that headed towards the kitchen. Mostly only the maids used those. The other staircase, more fancy-looking, led to the living room.

"_Alright Zoe, you can do this…"_ she said to herself as motivation.

"So Zoe?" said Hiroshi after a while of silence. "Are you surprised that you have lived for so long?"

Zoe ignored the remarks as she entered the kitchen. She looked at her surroundings. There was the glass door that led to the backyard, and in the other side was the entrance to the corridor that led to the living room. There was little light coming from the living room. There was also some light coming from the midnight moon. Some of the moonlight reflected from the pool outside and into the kitchen.

When Zoe looked at the corridor entrance to the living room, she noticed pipes that ran through the perimeter of the entrance. She looked at the rope in her hands. "….Interesting…" she thought.

"So let's see…" began Hiroshi. "I just killed three people, then I have these two old maids here, and last, but not least, little Zoe. That will be six people I get to kill tonight. What a way to celebrate New Years!"

Because Zoe was now closer to Hiroshi, his sharp voice made Zoe flinch even more. But she kept going. Zoe had tied the rope around the pipes.

"…So if I show myself to him vaguely, and he attacks I guess I can just run and make sure to not trip over my own trap. He might trip and it'll buy me some time to run away," said Zoe quietly.

Zoe took a minute to prepare herself. She then started to walk slowly into the corridor towards the living room.

"Zoe, are you coming down or not?" asked Hiroshi impatiently. "If not I'll kill these two that are left!"

"Man do you talk so much. It's becoming very annoying," came a soft feminine voice. It was slightly shaky.

"Who was that?" asked Hiroshi slightly concerned. His grip on his gun tightened.

The shaky voice talked again. "The one you want to kill. Zoe."

"Oh, so you finally decided to show up. But I can't see you," quipped Hiroshi.

"Oh I'm here. Why did you kill my parents?" she demanded.

---------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

**Whoa! She actually talked to Hiroshi! I personally would have gone through the kitchen door and ran, very very far away! But then again, I am the author of the story! ^_^**

**So I hope you enjoyed it! You still have a few more chapters before the end, but we are reaching the last chapters… I really don't have much to say…. (Oh and happy valentine's day!)**

**Ya me aburri (Okay, I'm bored), Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30! Wow 30 chapters already! I had previously planned to have this be about 28 chapters, but I was playing around with when I would stop and start each chapter, so now I have more than 30! So, enough of boringness and now read! Enjoy and R&R!**

* * *

Chapter 30: January 1 continued

"_Who was that?" asked Hiroshi slightly concerned. His grip on his gun tightened._

_The shaky voice talked again. "The one you want to kill. Zoe."_

"_Oh, so you finally decided to show up. But I can't see you," quipped Hiroshi._

"_Oh I'm here. Why did you kill my parents?" she demanded._

"I must see you to tell you," said Hiroshi.

Zoe sighed inwardly. She slowly walked out from the corridor and met face to face with the killer.

He was a short man. His eyes were bulgy and his face tired. He seemed to have about the same age Zoe's parents had. Zoe saw the bodies of her dead family members. All three of them drenched in blood. Simonetta's head lowered and blood covering her whole body, Uncle Tomas's head awkwardly turned to the side, and Auntie's head lowered with blood still dripping out of her mouth. Zoe felt tears coming, but held them back.

"Alright, I'm here, why did you kill my parents," she repeated. "But stay back…" Zoe's legs were shaking slightly under her jeans.

"Wow…you look just like your mother up close…" said Hiroshi as he looked at Zoe intently. Suddenly his expression darkened. "But your eyes," he said grimly, "just like your damn father!"

"Don't disrespect my parents," said Zoe assertively.

"You want me to respect them?" asked Hiroshi inching closer. "They were the ones who disrespected me!"

Zoe stepped back slowly. "What do you mean by that?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, I knew Annabella very well," he started, "but to make the story short, I was the one that was to be her husband! _I _was the one that was to marry her! But then she met him, your father. He stole her away from me!"

"What?!" said Zoe in amazement. She grimaced at the thought of how such a horrible man could be part of her mother's life.

"But that wasn't the only thing," continued Hiroshi. "They both had the audacity to come say sorry like if I was some guy from the street to pity!"

"…so you have been carrying a grudge all this time and you want to take revenge?" said Zoe as she stepped back a little more.

"For more than 18 years I have been trying to pay back for what they had done to me, and when I saw the chance I just took it!" said Hiroshi and smirked.

"But, you already killed them! Why are you after me?" asked Zoe and continued to step back. Now she was stepping into the corridor she entered.

Hiroshi stepped forward. "Because you are what came from their union! It would have been so much easier if you had died with them in the car accident!"

"Well, I'm still alive…" said Zoe quietly.

"Damn, you look just like Annabella!" Hiroshi stepped forward. "The same golden hair, same bright smile, and from what I've seen so far, the same intelligence, they are all hers…But the eyes, they belong to you father!"

Zoe stepped back a little more.

"And now I'll do to you what I've always wanted to do with Annabella!" he said and started to run towards Zoe.

At the sight of Hiroshi dashing towards her, Zoe turned around and ran down the corridor. The corridor was long and wide. It was decorated with small tables with flower vases and flowers that were placed against the walls.

"You'll never catch me! No wonder my mother left you! You're a coward!" yelled Zoe back to Hiroshi.

"Shut up!" shot back Hiroshi and took out his gun. He fired at Zoe but missed.

Seeing this, Zoe began to run in a zig-zag manner. She remembered seeing this in the movie Apocalypto where the main character would run in the same way to avoid being hit with spears and stones.

Bullets continued to fly all over the place. Because he was frustrated and angered, Hiroshi's concentration was disrupted.

"Annabella! Don't leave me like this, not again!" he yelled.

This surprised Zoe. _"Idiot, he thinks I'm my mother…"_ she thought and was now closer to the entrance of the kitchen.

Hiroshi shot again, this time the bullet passed right at the side of Zoe's left lower leg. It almost entered her leg, but because of the way she was running it only left a cut. "Ah!" yelled Zoe as her pace was now slowing. Nonetheless, she tried to continue running.

She saw the door of the kitchen that was opened to the outside. _"Yes!"_ she thought, _"almost there."_

A few feet behind her, however, was Hiroshi. He was catching up to her quickly.

Zoe jumped slightly and headed towards the door. Hiroshi still frustrated and a little disoriented did not notice Zoe's action and tripped over. The rope Zoe had tied earlier had worked. Hiroshi hit the floor hard. During the fall, he had let go of his gun trying to stop himself from falling.

Zoe looked back and saw Hiroshi on the floor. She quickly went back and picked up the gun and ran outside. "Thanks!" she said as she ran.

Hiroshi, however quickly got up and started to run after Zoe.

Zoe was not very familiar with the backyard. Because it was winter and the temperatures were still too cold, she never bothered going outside at any time. She only knew about the pool and the woods at the back of the yard. She saw there were steps that led to the pool and beyond. As she was running, she jumped avoiding walking down the steps. But because she was running quickly and she put a lot of force in her jump, she fell right into the pool.

To her surprise, Zoe was already in the cold water. She felt the strong sting from the chlorine of the pool that was now all over the cut the bullet left behind.

The pool was long and deep. It was about 10 feet deep, 20 feet long. As she was reaching the bottom of it, she quickly tried to swim back up as she needed oxygen.

Once she reached the surface and gasped for air, she opened her eyes and saw Hiroshi jumping in. Zoe looked to where Hiroshi had landed and saw he was swimming towards her direction. She quickly went back inside the water and swam away.

Her eyes were burning and she was freezing, but she continued swimming. She looked back to see how close Hiroshi was. He was fairly close. As she swam, Zoe tried to take out the gun she had gotten from Hiroshi.

The wall of the pool started to appear and Zoe was in need of more oxygen so she went to the surface. She turned to see that Hiroshi was now closer. Without thinking twice, Zoe pulled the trigger.

Nothing came out.

"No, no, no, no," she said as she again pulled the trigger repeatedly, but nothing was happening.

Hiroshi was now 7 feet away. Malice visible on his face.

Zoe went back into the water and tried to swim away.

He was 5 feet away.

"_What now….?"_ She thought as she reached the wall.

He was 3 feet away.

Zoe turned around to see Hiroshi dangerously close. So she dug into her pocket desperately.

Hiroshi's eyes had now appeared right in front of her face.

Zoe felt the hard material in her hand.

She saw Hiroshi's hand reaching out to her.

* * *

**Oh, cliffhanger! So we found out why Hiroshi was after Zoe…. **

**So for those who have not seen Apocalypto, it is a movie directed by Mel Gibson. In the movie, the main character, Jaguar Paw, [I think that's his name], is running away. While he is running, he runs zig-zaggy, so he doesn't want to get hit by anything, like spears and all. I don't want to give the plot away. But watch it cuz it's funny. But like I was saying, running like that reduces the chances of being an easy target. That was the same Zoe was doing. So Hiroshi would aim poorly, she ran zig-zaggy, the only thing was that it hurt her a little because the bullet injured her, but it did not go in. **

**Hopefully that helped you in some way…But now on to other things, the poll about Zoe will be up until this story ends. So if you have not voted yet, go to my profile and vote! I know that 11 people so far have voted, so…yeah, check out the poll!**

**And once again, it is snowing! All I see is white everytime I go outside now…I hope I don't have school tomorrow, but I don't think this storm will actually bring a lot of snow, so my life will go back to normal…ugh!**

**I gotta go…Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Yup, chapter 31…I had no school….Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 31: January 1 (you know…)

_He was 3 feet away._

_Zoe turned around to see Hiroshi dangerously close. So she dug into her pocket desperately._

_Hiroshi's eyes had now appeared right in front of her face._

_Zoe felt the hard material in her hand. _

_She saw Hiroshi's hand reaching out to her._

Zoe quickly moved to her right, avoiding his hand. Although she did this, Hiroshi swam towards her and harshly grabbed her arm.

With the other hand in her pocket, she took out something wrapped in cloth. Zoe twirled it to remove the cloth and allowed the water to help her.

Hiroshi reached for Zoe's right arm that had the item, but stopped. He felt a strong pain in his back. A knife had gone through his back beside his shoulder blade. The water was starting to turn a crimson color.

Zoe quickly took out the knife and stabbed Hiroshi again, but this time in his chest, in his heart area. Hiroshi's eyes grew wide. He looked at Zoe with horrified and hatred in his eyes. He finally let Zoe go.

Zoe swam towards the surface of the water that was now red. Shivering and scared, she looked at the pool. The rest of the pool was now turning a red color from Hiroshi's blood. His corpse was floating at the surface.

The air was cold, and her clothes were wet. She shivered a great deal as Zoe looked at her hands. The same ones she used to kill Hiroshi, the one that had killed her parents.

"…I-I'm s-sorry…" she said as she looked to the pool. She dropped to the floor, her face covered in tears. A rush of wind came by, making Zoe shiver even more. She hugged herself and cried bitterly as the wind continued to blow.

After awhile of her in the same position, and the shivering taking over, Zoe decided to go back inside. As she limped through the kitchen and into the corridor, she winced in pain. The same spot where the bullet had injured was bothering her.

As she reached the living room, she noticed that the other two older ladies were not tied in their chairs. Zoe tried to glance away from her dead family's corpses.

"_Constanza must have come…"_ she thought. She slowly made her way towards the stairs that were used mostly by the family that lived there.

Zoe was very tired. She had to get strength from nowhere pretty much to speak. As she gathered her strength she yelled for Constanza.

No answer.

Zoe tried again. After a while a light turned on upstairs. Zoe could see three shadows that were casting down on the steps. Later, Constanza and the other two women came down to see Zoe.

All three were terrified at how wet she was, but at the same time surprised that she was even alive.

"How did you survive?" asked Constanza as she hugged Zoe.

"…I killed him…" said Zoe quietly.

"What?!" cried out the three women.

"I killed him! I killed him!" yelled Zoe as she parted away from Constanza and held her head with her hands. She dropped to the floor.

"What? Where is he?" asked one of the two older women.

"In the pool!" pointed Zoe to the yard. "I killed him! I-I didn't mean to—but he was going to attack, he was going to get me! So I stabbed him! I stabbed him…"

Constanza grabbed one of Zoe's arms to get her up. "Come one Zoe, let's get you changed ," said Constanza as the girl slowly got up. "One of you call the police."

Both Constanza and Zoe climbed the steps to the Zoe's room.

_--------3 AM_

"So please, tell me your story?" asked a police officer.

Zoe was quiet for a few moments then sighed. She began her story.

Police cars and ambulances were brightly lighting the night sky. As she retold her horror, around her were other police officers and paramedics surrounding the house. The paramedics had already taken care of the four dead bodies in the premises: Aunt Antonella, Uncle Tomas, Simonetta, and Hiroshi. The police had arrested Kenichi who was now sitting inside the police car. He sighed.

"Here are the recordings of everything that happened. My aunt and uncle had them in their room so I used them if there was anything wrong…" lastly said Zoe as she handed the recorders to the officer.

He took them into his hands. He was surprised at the intelligence of the girl. "Well, good job! We will definitely benefit from this," he congratulated. "But now, get some sleep, we'll take care of everything…Oh, and I'm sorry for your loss…" he said and simpathetically smiled at the girl.

"…Thank you…" answered Zoe and watched as the policeman gathered his crew. In a matter of minutes, everything was cleared and there was no sign of activity.

"Let's go get some rest…" said Constanza.

The rest of New Year's day, Zoe spent it answering questions that the police was asking. They continued to repeatedly ask about why Hiroshi was there and why she killed him. There were some charges against her for murder, and specially that she was close to being an adult, she would be treated as such.

But Zoe didn't care. She felt hallow and depressed. She knew there was only one way she could feel better: by hearing Takuya's voice. But because the police had taken her phone away for investigation, there was no way to contact him. She never really memorized the numbers of her friends and she wasn't in the mood to even think.

Zoe would only sigh. "What else can I do?" she would ask herself.

But there was no answer.

_-------Jan 2_

This was the second funeral Zoe had attended in less than a month. There weren't too many people in the funeral, compared to her parents, and much of those who did attend, she had never met. There were a couple of family members there as well, but she didn't know them. But they did know her; Zoe looked just like her mother.

Although she had felt hatred towards her family, especially her aunt, she couldn't help but cry.

As Zoe was deep in her thoughts, she felt a slight tap on her shoulder.

"Hello Zoe," came a voice immediately after the tap.

Zoe turned around to come face to face with Mr. Parker.

"Mr. Parker?!" she said in disbelief but still hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to help you," answered the middle-aged man casually. "The police called me because you gave them my name as reference."

"Oh, right…" she said shyly. "So what is going to happen?"

"Well, for starters, the charges against you have been dropped," he said.

Zoe sighed in relief.

"They heard the digital recordings and declared you not guilty. They were quite impressed with your intelligence," he said.

"Oh, uh…well, I mean, you know, I just thought of it…" she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"But now there is an important choice you need to make," said Mr. Parker in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" asked Zoe confused.

"Well, even though the charges were made like if you were an adult, you still are a minor. And you don't have any kind of legal guardian because you're still a minor," he explained.

"So…what are you trying to say…" asked Zoe slowly.

"You need to choose were you're going to live," he said. Mr. Parker took of his glasses and cleaned them with a cloth he took out of his pocket. "You still have about five or six months before you go to college and you can live on your own."

"So I have the choice of where I can live?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said nonchalantly and put his glasses back on. "But you have to choose quickly, I must fix everything as soon as possible."

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Parker, I know exactly where I want to go," said Zoe and smiled. It was the first time she had smiled the whole day. "Do you still have the Kanbara's number?"

Mr. Parker nodded.

"Can I call them now?" she asked as her face had lit up.

"Yeah, it's better, it would make everything so much easier," said Mr. Parker. "But we have to go to my office here in Italy."

"Okay," said Zoe as Mr. Parker guided her through the small crowd to his car. "You have an office here?"

"Yeah, can you believe that?! My law firm gave me an office here!" he said. "Oh, I was sort of hoping you would choose the Kanbaras, it would have made everything so much easier… did I already say that?"

Zoe could not help but laugh.

* * *

**Oh she's gonna call the Kanbaras! So this chapter was sort of long I think (if not well, whatever). I didn't have school today either! It wasn't because of the snow storm last night, because there was none. It barely flurried! **

**So today is my last day I can read fanfiction till April 5****th****. I'll still be updating, but not reading…or reviewing…**

**But I'll be back, and the first chance I get at coming to that great Monday April 5, I will take it and read my eyeballs out!**

**So until next time! And remember to R&R!**

**Esta Fue Utsukushii!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey, hey, hey! It's been a horrible week back to school, but whatever. So enjoy! It's sorta long, so I hope you don't start falling asleep or something, or no brownies for you!**

**Takuya: …..zzzzzzz….zzzzz…zzzzz…..**

**Me: never mind, everyone gets a brownie except Takuya! ^_^**

* * *

Chapter 32: January 2 continued and blah, blah, blah…

There was ring.

"Mom! The phone!" yelled Shinya as he was sitting on the living room couch doing nothing.

"Hello?" answered Mrs. Kanbara.

After listening to the other speaker, she froze. "Zoe? Is it really you? But Takuya said—" she stuttered.

"No Mrs. Kanbara. I'm alive, and I have a favor to ask you…" said Zoe excitedly.

Tears had started collecting in Mrs. Kanbara's eyes as she heard the young girl talking. "Oh Zoe! How nice it is to hear you again!"

Shinya was listening as his mother was speaking over the phone. He also was surprised. "Zoe alive? I gotta go tell Takuya!" he said and sprinted up the stairs.

He knocked at Takuya's door to get an irritated look as Takuya slowly opened the door.

"What do you want?" asked Takuya rudely.

Takuya had been this same way ever since he found out of Zoe's supposed death. It was the first time he ever saw his brother cry over something that wasn't soccer or anything like that. And now Takuya spent a lot of time alone in his room.

"Dude, I have some great news!" said Shinya with much excitement. Takuya remained silent.

"Zoe. She's alive man! She's alive!" said Shinya, but his smile soon faded as Takuya grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall.

"Don't you fucking joke around with anything like that do you understand?!" yelled Takuya as his anger got the best of him.

"T-Takuya, I'm not-I'm not joking. Let me go! She really is a-alive!" said the terrified boy.

Takuya realized what he was doing and let Shinya go. He stared daggers into Shinya, who was only staring back in fear. Then they heard their mother calling.

"Takuya! I need to talk to you!" she said.

Takuya soften his expression a little as he looked back at Shinya. He then walked to his mother.

Takuya noticed the big grin Mrs. Kanbara had on her face and only stared at her.

"Okay Takuya, I was just on the phone," she began, "and we'll be having someone stay with us."

"What do you mean?" asked Takuya as hope was starting to rise.

"You know how you had received word of Zoe's death, well, she's alive! Takuya, she's alive!"

Takuya's face lit up and he laughed. He laughed his nervousness and anxiety out as he was happy to hear the news. He embraced his mother arms said, "Mom, are you serious? Is she coming back?" he asked still embracing his mom.

"Yes, she's coming back to live with us!" she said reassuring his over-excited son.

Takuya continued to embrace his mother until he realized something. "_Shit, I have to go apologize to Shinya. I hope I didn't scare him…" _he thought and ran back upstairs.

_------January 3_

"Come one flight! Come already!" said an anxious Takuya.

"Seriously, calm down! It's gonna get here, when it gets here!" said Koji visibly annoyed.

Takuya and the others were waiting at the airport. Gathered were family and friends: Koji, Kelsi, Kouichi, Tommy, Shinya, and Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara. The day before, Takuya had called the rest of everyone pretty much to explain that Zoe was coming back and when she was arriving. He had awaken that morning as jumpy and excited as he had ever been.

"Oh, I can't wait till she comes!" said Kelsi as she was also enthusiastic. When she had received the news of Zoe's death, she fell into a depression. Both her and Zoe were like sisters, and she felt she had lost a big part of her. She was glad that Koji was there to support her. [Whoa, whoa, whoa! Koji has…f-feelings?! O.o]

_-------Not so very far away…._

"Come on! Let's get to the airport already!" said Zoe as she looked out the window.

Zoe had, without any second thought, left Italy. After her family's funeral, she gathered her belongings and taken them to her inherited Italian home. She visited to see what exactly she had to do and to check up on the place.

One of the hardest things to do however, was say good bye to Constanza. Constanza remained in Zoe's home to maintain it. She was the head of all the genera maintenance of the house.

But now Zoe was only a few minutes away from arriving at the airport in Japan, where all her real family was waiting.

"Don't worry Zoe," adviced Mr. Parker, "we'll get there." Mr. Parker had accompanied Zoe in the trip for her also needed to get back home. He was sitting in the row behind her.

"Look! The plane arrived!" announced Shinya as he pointed to the screen that announced arrivals and delays and all that.

Everyone looked at the screen. _Roma- Arrive._

Takuya felt his hear t beat much faster now. _"Come on…"_ he thought.

"Zoe…hurry up!" said Kelsi.

Takuya having heard her glared at Kelsi. Kelsi noticed the glare and she did the same.

"What? I want to see her…" said Kelsi.

Takuya only looked back at the terminals. Now, passengers were coming out and walking to their relatives.

"Do you see her?" asked Kelsi.

"No…" answered Takuya as he stretched his neck to see more.

"Hey!" said Kelsi. "I want to see her first!" She began to make her way through the crowd as she wanted to go to the front.

"No! I'll see her first!" he said and followed the shorter girl.

Kelsi had finally reached the front. A few seconds later, Takuya was next to her. They where bickering on who would see Zoe first.

"Should we tell them?" asked Koji.

"What? That they are facing the wrong terminal?" asked Kouichi. "Uh…I think we should—hey look Zoe!"

Everyone looked at the opposite direction that Takuya and Kelsi were in.

Out came the blond girl rolling her luggage. She smiled as she saw Kouichi, Koji, Tommy, Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara, and Shinya making their way towards her direction. But she didn't see Takuya or Kelsi, which she knew would be there. Her smile faded.

"Idiot! Kelsi! Zoe's over there! On the other side!" yelled Koji to the other two.

Kelsi and Takuya heard Koji and looked the other direction. Just as he had said, Zoe was there looking a little confused.

"Zoe!" yelled both youngsters simultaneously. Then they glared at each other and ran towards Zoe. They had to go through the crowd of people that were waiting fro their relatives again.

Zoe had also heard what Koji had said and looked at the direction of Kelsi and Takuya. She laughed at the sight of Takuya and Kelsi running and glaring at each other. She saw Kelsi's determined face and Takuya's competitive face.

Finally, Takuya had made it through the crowd. His eyes met with Zoe's and they locked. They felt as thought no one else was around and that the world was only theirs. Zoe started to run towards Takuya. His heart was racing faster and faster as the thought of being in Takuya's arms again was motivating her.

She was surprised when she realized she had stopped in her tracks and saw Kelsi squeezing life out of her.

"Zoe! Zoe! Oh, god Zoe! I'm so glad you're alive!" said Kelsi as she tightly hugged Zoe. Zoe returned the hug as hard as Kelsi.

"I missed you too…" she said. "But do you know those moments in the movies where a couple meet after some kind of separation?" asked Zoe into Kelsi's ear.

"Yeah, I love those moments!" said Kelsi. "But why are you telling me that?"

"Well, um, Takuya…" started Zoe as she stared at the boy who was still amazed at how quickly Kelsi had gotten to Zoe.

Kelsi thought for a while. "Right! Haha," said Kelsi nervously. "I just wanted to see you first before he did, we were sorta…arguing, yeah…" Kelsi let Zoe go. Takuya was standing behind them and as Kelsi was headed towards Koji she glared at Takuya. She quietly went back to Koji, who put his arm around her. [Aww, feelings! This is so weird O.O]

Zoe was watching as Kelsi left and smiled. She turned towards Takuya. "Hi Takuya!"

"Hey Zoe," greeted Takuya nervously. "I'm glad you're here…and, well, alive, you know…" he scratched the back of his neck.

The two stared at each other very timidly.

"Dude! Just kiss her already!" came a voice from afar. Everyone turned towards Koji.

"What? They—he—whatever…" he stuttered and looked down. They all laughed.

"I can't believe—" she was interrupted by Takuya who was pressing his lips onto hers and wrapped her in his arms.

Kouichi playfully covered Tommy and Shinya's eyes.

"Hey!" said both boys in unison.

After a few moments, the couple broke the kiss. Both were blushing lightly.

With Zoe still in his arms, Takuya said, "Let's go home…"

Everyone headed towards the exit. Mr. Parker, who was with Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara, also said goodbye.

"Well, Zoe," he said as he went up to her. "If you need anything, you know what to do, bye now, and take care."

Zoe nodded, gave him a hug, and headed towards her new family.

* * *

**I know Koji is emotional on the inside! I though this was long, but hopefully not boring. There is one more chapter left, only one! I can't believe it! So R&R and stuff!**

**Coming to if hard. All those fanfics, tempting…must…resist…don't click….**

**So hopefully I can keep up with this and….**

**Brownies for everyone!**

**Everyone: *they all come up for brownies***

**Takuya: Oh, where's my brownie! Where's mine!**

**Me: Sorry Takuya but you were sleeping. I specifically said that if you're sleeping, you can't get a brownie.**

**Takuya: When did you say that? You never said that!**

**Koji: Actually she did, now stop whining and move! I need my brownie!**

**Takuya: Shut up you emotional idiot!**

**Koji :*glares***

**Takuya: I'll just go…but mark my words, I will get a brownie! *runs***

**Me: Okay! That's all folks! Esta fue Utsukushii!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Okay guys…this..this is it. This is the last chap to What Winter Brought! I hope you have all enjoyed the trials and all that other stuff that happened. **

**But before we begin the chapter I would like to thank some peeps!...Well, countries…and they are: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Dominican Revar, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Malaysia, Argentina, Denmark, Ireland, Mauritius, Indonesia, Peru, Austria, Philippines, Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, Bangladesh and the rest of the world! And let's all hope that Chile and Japan, two countries who were recently shook by earthquakes, will get the help they need.**

**We are the world, we are the children….**

**Everyone: Shut up!**

**Me: Did it annoy you?**

**Koji: What do you think?**

**Me: Yes?**

**Takuya: Good job! Because it did.**

**Me: Good! That's what I wanted….what a horrible song. I think they should have never redone that…well, on to the story!**

* * *

_----At home_

"So, here are the copies of the recordings I made," said Zoe as she placed the disc into the computer. "This is when you called Takuya." She clicked play.

_--the recording…yeah…_

_[ringing of cell phone]_

"_Oh, who could that be? Ah, talk about luck, hey Zoe! Guess who it is! It's your little boyfriend…what was his name again…Takuya! I'll answer and wish him the best New Years and a new slut he could play around with…"_

_[small pause]_

"_Hello?" _

_[pause]_

"_Oh, my no! I'm just her murderer,"_

_[small pause]_

"_Yeah! I'm her murderer!"_

_[pause]_

"_You know, a person who kills, yeah, I'm the person who killed your precious little Zoe. Oh, and I didn't just kill her, but hit her, multiple times and very hard, tortured her, and of course, I raped her, I just had to. No wonder you were with her, such great company…"_

_[pause]_

"_Why I can't tell you boy! I'm actually glad you called. I just wanted to wish you a great and happy new year! Oh and you might want to find a new slut, your old one is dead. There might not be too much excitement in that!"_

_[pause followed by laughter] [another pause]_

"_You see Zoe, I told him that because I just wanted to give you a sneak peek of what will happen in the near future!"_

_[laughter]_

Zoe clicked the pause button. "That was just a bit that happened…" she said casually and faced her audience.

"So wait. You and Takuya, did, um, you know…" asked Shinya.

Zoe and Takuya started to blush an intense shade of red.

"No! nothing! Never! No! H-he just said that because maybe he thought that's what other teens do or I don't know! No!" she said quickly and turned towards the computer to take out the disk.

There was a collective chuckle coming from the rest of the people gathered.

"But, how exactly did you survive?" asked Kelsi. "Because that dude sounded a little …out of it…"

"Well, once I couldn't take it any more…" started Zoe and retold her story. She told about the pain, the insults, the knife, the shooting, the pool, and all those killed.

As she finished her story, her audience gaped at the girl.

"You stabbed him!" said Tommy surprised.

"Yeah…" said Zoe somberly as she looked into her hands.

"Dude, try not to do something stupid because you know what's coming!" joked Kouichi as he hit Takuya in his arm.

"Yeah, and we already thought she was vicious!" joined in Tommy.

"No wonder you're limping…" said Mrs. Kanbara changing the subject. "I was going to ask you about that."

"I'm limping?" asked Zoe. She looked at her leg and then to the rest of the people. They all nodded.

"At least you're safe, and that's what matters," said Mr. Kanbara.

"Yeah and I'm glad I'm back and alive…" smiled Zoe.

"We all are," said Takuya quietly and looked Zoe in the eyes.

She looked back and with that same look, they declared their love for each other once again.

_---------------December 11, ten years later_

_So…it's been ten years. Ten years of changes, ten years of absence, and ten years of love._

_How exactly did it turn out for me after I returned to Japan? Well, that same day I stayed up late finishing the rest of the winter break work my teachers had assigned. I was returning to school the next day and I hadn't bothered of doing the work any time soon. The first few days I was sort of struggling with my grades and all, but soon I got the hang of it again with the help of all those around me. I will not mention grades._

_The rest of senior year went by quickly. I got accepted into all of my colleges, but went tone of the top colleges in Japan. Before I left the loving care of the Kanbara's I offered Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara one million of what my parents left for me. They did not accept however, but after a few days of convincing, they finally accepted. That was only a small token of what I owe them for the great deed they did for me._

_What of Takuya and the others? Well, Takuya and I were officially going out. Takuya, as always, was struggling with the last bit of senior year, but passed…satisfactorily. He got a soccer scholarship to college that was about thirty minutes away from mine._

_Koji and Kelsi also continued together. They went to the same college and now they are happily married with two children._

_Kouichi, after giving it lots of thought, decided to join Takuya in his same college. So I saw both of them a lot. Kouichi is also married with only one child. I even think there is a competition between Koji and Kouichi about who will have the most children...They never change…._

_Tommy and Shinya were others that attended the same university. They are still in it actually. Tommy is studying to be an engineer. I knew he had it in him! And Shinya is studying to become an astronaut._

_JP, although a little more distant than the others, sometimes comes to visit. And like the others, he's married with three children._

_After college, I got a job at Shibuya Hospital. I became a physical therapist. I felt it was what I had to do. Maybe what I went through makes me want to help those who have been injured. I would never want all of that happened to me to happen to anyone._

_Takuya is a professional soccer player. I guess it was sort of obvious. I love going to his games and seeing how he leads his team to victory._

_We also got married three years ago. He proposed at the last semester of my grad school. I don't even know how to put the event into words. Let's just say that when Takuya proposed, he always found a way to make it…his way._

_Later on, I also found out how and why Hiroshi and Kenichi did all that they did. Kenichi confessed having stalked my family ever since my mom left Hiroshi. So he knew a lot about me. He had followed my family that day of the crash because he decide it was finally time they paid for what they did. So he thought that dying in a car crash would be best. When he was unsatisfied with me still being alive he stalked me from the moment I came out of the hospital. He knew where I was staying and with who. Both he and Hiroshi followed me to Italy. That is why they attacked on New Year's Eve, thinking they would kill me and get away with it._

_That is what I remember each year… We come to the cemetery every year on this day. I come visit my parents on the day of their death._

Zoe was standing in front of her parents' graves. Tears were rolling down her face.

"…I hope…I have made you proud so far…" she said aloud.

She flinched as she felt hands wrap around her waist.

"Don't worry, I think you have," said her husband as he softly kissed her on her cheek.

"Mommy, you're great!" said a little girl as she wrapped her arms around Zoe's leg.

"Thanks Tatsumi," replied her mother and picked her up. Zoe kissed the girl.

"Hey! I want a kiss too," said Takuya as he pouted playfully.

With Zoe still in his arms, and Tatsumi in her arms, Zoe managed to stretch enough to kiss Takuya on the nose.

After a moment of silence, Zoe spoke.

"What do you think would have happened if my parents would have never died?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Takuya.

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if this day would have never happened ten years ago, if there was never a car crash? Do you think we would have cared about each other like we did?"

"…I don't know…" he replied, "…but I do know that we would have always found a way to be together…"

Zoe smiled. The wind picked up and blew on Zoe's face. The winter breeze, although cold, was soothing.

"Do you think I'm doing a good job as a mother?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah! Of course you are Zoe! What makes you think you're not?!" asked Takuya as he looked at his wife incredulously.

"I don't know," replied Zoe. "But I ask myself that at times, and I just want to be the best mother I can be for Tatsumi, I guess." She smiled at her daughter.

The auburn haired girl grinned back hugging her mother closely. "Well, I know you sure are doing great!" said Tatsumi as her emerald eyes showed nothing but sincerity.

"And wherever your parents are I know they're taking care of us," reassured Takuya. "Well, I know you're father is taking care more of you than me, because, well, you know…"

Zoe laughed at his comment.

"I love it when you laugh," he said. "I love making you laugh. You always look so beautiful." He added a kiss.

"Yeah mommy! You're pretty!" added Tatsumi happily and also kissed her mother.

Zoe smiled. "Well, I guess everything happens for a reason," she said. "But winter will always be my favorite season, it always brings me different surprises…"

"Like your birthday, Tatsumi!" said Takuya as he reminded the little girl.

"Yay! M y birthday is coming up!" cheered Tatsumi. "It's Januray 3rd!"

Both Takuya and Zoe smiled. "Let's go home…" said Takuya as he grabbed Zoe by the hand. Zoe then put Tatsumi down and grabbed her hand. The family walked out of the cemetery laughing and smiling as the winter breeze blew around them.

--

* * *

**Me: *sniff* It was so beautiful *sniff, sniff* Takuya was being so….gentleman-y….**

**Takuya: I'm always a gentleman! And a man! *points to the crowd***

**Everyone: *cricket sound***

**Me: Right….Well, everyone, that was it! I hope you all enjoyed this story like I did while I was typing it! But before anything else I would like to thank those that took their time to look at this story: blackandblood, Royal Court Jester, dontchaknowme4life, ****dbzgtfan2004****, ****KK the Prophet****, ****, ****Zepriyds****, ****stitchfan93****, ****gcleemon****, ****AquaAngel13****, ****x3AnimeLuver****, ****CheRfuLemOv0****, ****BurnoutRush****, ****Fura-tuz727****, ****digimondragonmaster****, ****Duelist031995****, ****gamb1t****, ****Kyrosuke****, ****seiyu13****, and ****Forscythe****, and all those that read the story!Also those who might not have accounts and aren't part of the awesome family here at ! Thank you all so much and have a good night everybody! *waves***

**Kouichi: Oh god, we just lost her….**

**Zoe: she was already lost since the beginning…**

**Takuya: Yup…**

**Me: Hey! I can hear you! But anyways, thank you again and watch out for my next story…which I still don't know what the name or the plot is! ^_^.**

**And remember about the poll! Support or don't support Zoe and read the explanation as to why I'm doing this poll in my profile! **

**Por la ultima vez en esta historia, Esta Fue utsukushii!**


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